Corrupted Platinum
by tiggerkiddo
Summary: A retelling of sorts of the story of Pokemon Platinum, with a few added twists. Stars Jamie  Aka Dawn , Gavin  Aka Barry , Team Rocket  Yes  and Roxanne  Yes from Hoehn .
1. Chapter 1

"And so concludes today's program of Pokemon Talk with Professor Rowan of Sandgem Town. I hope you all enjoyed our time with the professor today and hope you will join us next time. Professor, do you have any last words for our audience, before we wrap things up today?"

The older gentleman chuckled, his white mustache twitching a bit. "Well I would like to say-" She didn't get to hear the rest of the message as the golden haired Gavin burst into her room like a rocket, causing the door to hit the wall with a loud thud. He looked at the wall for a moment and rubbed the back of his head.

"Err, opps," was all he could mutter. The incident seemed to register on his mind for a few seconds, which could seem like hours to him before he turned to look at her. "Oh yea, did you watch the episode of Pokemon Talk today?"

She glanced at the monitor which happened to show the credits and sighed. She turned off the TV. "I was, yes. Gavin, you know I don't care for you bursting into my room like-"

"Wow, hey! Is that a new computer?"

Her mouth fell open as he ran across the room, jumping over the small video-game system that sat in front of the TV, almost knocking it over in his rush. He glanced over the machine, his eyes growing wide. She got to her feet. "I wouldn't call it new new-"

"So cool," he said as he pecked at the keyboard with one finger, mesmerized by the screen. She folded her arms. He poked around for a little more but lost interest in it and looked at her. "What was I taking about again?"

"Pokemon Tal-"

"Oh yea! Jamie, Jamie, I had an awesome idea! A really really awesome idea! We should go to Sandgem Town and ask Professor Rowan for Pokemon of our own! You know how you've been saying how it'd be cool to have one? Well this is it, this is how we find a way to obtain one!"

That had to be the most sensible idea he had in some time. "That...does sound like a cool idea but-"

"See, it is right? So here's the plan. I go home and get my stuff and then we hurry over to Sandgem and ask him! Easy peasy, right?"

She folded her arms. "Well it sounds easy but what about some of the meadows that are in the path between here and there?"

Gavin frowned. "What do you mean? They're just meadows, you run through them all the time. Am I missing something here?"

"Didn't you watch the episode? Don't you remember the Professor mentioning that wild pokemon like to roam in meadows? What if we run into one and don't have a pokemon of our own? What do we do then?"

Gavin laughed and waved his finger at her. "Don't you worry about a thing! I thought about that already and I have a plan for that! I told you I had a plan, right?"

She sighed. "Well..."

He began to walk across the room, tripping over the system and crashing to the ground. He picked his head up and winced. "Ouch."

"Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Cool system though, when did you get it?"

She shook her head. "I've had it for some time. You should know, you've come over and played a few games on it!"

He got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Have I? I don't remember. Oh well, laters! Meet me at the entrance to town in a few and don't be late! I know how slow you can be!" He said before he ran out like he had been shot out like a rocket.

She walked downstairs, finding her mom at the table cutting up some onions. "Was that blur who just ran out Gavin? He moved so fast that I didn't get a chance to say bye."

She leaned on the table and nodded. "It was him. Don't blink or you'll miss him."

She finished chopping up the onion and Jamie had to push away to avoid the smell. "So what did he come over here for?"

"He wants to go over to Sandgem and ask the professor to give us some pokemon."

She frowned as she swept the onion bits into a bowl. "Now honey, you know the road has a few meadows around it. Wild pokemon roam those meadows and if you don't have a pokemon to defend yourselves..."

"Yea, I know. Gavin says he has a way around it. He probably got some Repels or something to keep them away. I'm not going into those meadows otherwise."

Her mom looked at her for a moment, her frown not going away. "Uh-huh. Listen, I know how much you love pokemon but-"

"Trust me Mom, I'm not going into those meadows if his idea doesn't work. I know how dangerous it is."

She let out a sigh after what seemed like an eternity and nodded. "Go on but please take care of yourself and don't get into trouble."

She let out a sigh of relief and hugged her. "Thank you, thank you! I promise not to get into any trouble!"

She hurried outside, greeted by a cool breeze as she stepped out the door. Spring had come but winter still refused to leave just yet, giving them a small snow shower from time to time. She hoped it would pass soon, winter had lasted too long as usual and she was ready for summer. She tugged on her scarf and turned onto the small path that led out of town. She waved her hand at a few neighbors out in their yards. It had been a while since she had been out of town, it'd be fun to get out-"

"Too slow! What's the hold up slowpoke!" Gavin yelled, interrupting her thoughts and bringing her back down to earth. He stood at the entrance to Route 201, arms folded across his chest, his red scarf fluttering in the light breeze. She walked up to him and he shook his head before looking at his wrist like he had a watch. He waved his finger at her. "Tooo slow! You think we got all day here or something? If I hadn't told you to have hurried up, I would have been waiting here for years!"

"Too slow-"

"Ten million dollar fine for holding me down! Now let's go!"

"Ten-ten what?" She said but before she could protest this huge fine, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her along. They came to the edge of one of the large meadows that lay between Twinleaf and Sandgem and she could see a few Startly in the grass, searching for food. She bent over and cooed at them. "Ahhh cool, Startly! They look just like how Professor Row-"

"Hey, hey! Are we here to stare at some silly little birds or are we here to get to Sandgem? What will it be?"

She stood up straight and shot a glare at him. "I thought you liked pokemon? What's wrong with looking at a few as we're walking along?"

He stomped his foot in the snow. "We don't have time for that!" He yelled, his shrill voice causing some of them to fly away to another patch of grass. He watched them leave and looked at her with a big grin on his face. "There, see?"

She frowned. "I see you scared those poor things off."

He waved her off and looked at the meadow before them. "Now, remember how I said I had an idea to get through these meadows without running into any wild Pokemon?"

She nodded. "Yes, I do. Did you find some Repels?"

He laughed. "Repels? Those only work if you have a Pokemon of your own, otherwise they're useless. No, I mean the only solution to getting to Sandgem is running!"

She didn't know what to say for a moment but he seemed encouraged by her silence and smiled. She recovered and shook her head. "Running? We just run?"

He laughed. "Of course we run! If we walk, they could attack us but if we run really fast, we can avoid them! I mean it's not that far to Sandgem, right?"

She looked at the ground. "Running? We just run? How is that going to work?"

He held up a hand. "Watch and learn Jamie. Watch and learn," he said. He took a few large steps back from the meadow and crouched to the ground. "Okay, on the mark of three, I'll take off. One...two...three-"

"Hold it!" A loud and stern voice yelled. Gavin took off but came to a stop, slipping on the snow and falling to the ground. Jamie turned around to see Professor Rowan coming down from the path that lead to Verity Lake. He looked a bit taller than she imagined, dressed in his trademark light blue sweater, dark blue slacks and brown loafers, though he also wore a dark brown long coat for protection from the chilly weather. He looked at both of them with a stern glance, also something he had become famous for. He looked at her first and then Gavin and then back to her. She gave a nervous smile, even though it felt as if he could see through her and to her innermost thoughts. She never got that vibe from the show but then again, she didn't have the real life professor glaring at her. "What are you two doing?"

"Ahhh Professor Rowan! Just the man we needed to see-or were looking for! I know how you host Pokemon Talk and all so I was hoping that you might be able to give us some Pokemon of our own to take care of!"

He folded his arms. "And just how were you planning to get to Sandgem without any Pokemon of your own? Those meadows are full of wild Startly, Bidoors and Kriicketots. You'll need a Pokemon of your own to defend yourselves."

Gavin laughed. "Well we were...we were...uh, tell him Jamie!"

She looked at him with an incredulous look. "Tell him? Tell him? It wasn't my idea to run through the meadows!"

He glared at her. "Hey, why are you trying to throw me under the bus? You agreed to come along!"

"I agreed to come along but I thought you had a better idea of getting through the meadows apart from running as fast as possible!"

"Ahhh Professor, there you are! You left your briefcase back there and I had to bring it along," a young man said. She noticed a guy coming up from behind, clutching a large brown briefcase at his side. He looked about their age with short black hair. He wore an outfit similar to Rowan's but wore a red cap, a white scarf and a red overcoat. He set down the briefcase and gasped for breath. "Man, I forgot how heavy that thing is. Oh, who are these two?"

Rowan looked at the newcomer and sighed. "Merely a pair of reckless teenagers about to explore meadows full of wild Pokemon."

The guy's eyes grew wide and he shook his head. "That won't do. Trust me when I say this, you do not want to do that. Angry Startly are pretty fast and-"

"And now they want me to give them a pokemon. These two! How am I supposed to react to this?"

The guy shook his head and smiled. "Well, they seem genuine. They made a mistake sure but we shouldn't hold it against them. There are far worse people to give Pokemon too. You almost have to admire their heart, nothing would stop them from trying to acquire one of their own."

Rowan looked at the guy for a few minutes and nodded. "Very well then. Unfortunately I only have one Pokemon in my briefcase, a Turtwig. He's a grass ground Pokemon that resembles a turtle."

Gavin jumped up and down. "A turtle? A turtle? That means it'll grow up into something big and strong, right? Right?"

Rowan nodded and reached into his jacket, pulling out a dark blue Pokedex. Jamie's eyes grew wide as Rowan punched a few numbers in and then turned it around to show them a massive Pokemon that looked like one of those old tortoises, with a large spiny shell and a small tree growing on the side of it. Gavin leaned forward, his nose almost touching the screen, his eyes as big as dinner plates. "This is Torterra, the final evolution of Tortwig."

"That's really cool."

Not the exact words she would use. Gavin might love it but she didn't care much for turtles. "No thanks. Gavin you can have him."

"R-r-really? You really mean it?"

"Yes yes!" She said and he jumped into the air again.

"Yes, my very own Pokemon! Mine, my very own Pokemon! I finally got one, yahoo!"

His yelping and yelling caused more Startly to fly off and Rowan shook his head. "You're going to scare off all the Startly."

Gavin stopped his celebration and nodded. "Uh, sorry," he said with a grin. Rowan grumbled and held out his hand.

"Lucas, can you open it up and give our friend here the Pokeball?"

Lucas nodded and opened the briefcase. He reached down and pulled out a red and white Pokeball, which he handed to Gavin. Gavin raised the Pokeball in the air, jumping up and down but not screaming at the top of his lungs, for once. "I need to go show my mom!" He said before running off in a blur. Jamie held down on the edge of her skirt from the wind Gavin had stirred up in his mad dash home. Rowan waved his hand to clear some of the dust and looked at her.

"Is he always like this?"

She smirked. "That's pretty subdued for him actually. So...what about me? Do you have another Pokemon somewhere?"

Rowan looked at Lucas and frowned. "Do you think that...he might be right for her?"

Lucas shared Rowan's expression. "Well, he is a bit of a mischievous guy. I don't want it to seem like we're dumping a problem Pokemon on her."

She folded her arms. "What is it? Just how much of a problem child is he?"

Lucas laughed. "Well he isn't too bad but he loves to cause a bit too much mischief. We've had quite a time trying to get him to mind. That seems a bit much for a brand new trainer though..."

She shook her head. "Can I at least see him? What kind of Pokemon is it?"

"A Chimchar. They are known for being a bit mischievous but this one is exceptionally belligerent," Rowan said, shaking his head. He tugged on his coat. "If you wish to see it, we should head over there. I have to stop by my lab anyways."

She nodded. How bad could it be? If anything, being friends with Gavin had taught her a little something about dealing with difficult people. Or at least she could only hope that it prepared her for this.

Sandgem wasn't much different from her hometown, a small little burg in the middle of some woods with three roads, one leading out to the north and Jubilife, one leading back toward Twinleaf and the last road leading out to a small route which ended at the sea. She took in a deep breath and could smell the salty breeze blowing in from the sea but before she could enjoy it a little more, she heard a loud crash and someone yelling. She turned to see a small orange chimpanzee running out the door of the lab. It's tail had a bright flame burning at the end, which somehow kept ablaze even with it running as fast as it could. "Professor, he got free again!"

Rowan shook his head. "That's okay."

The chimp noticed Rowan and took off toward the road leading out to the sea. Lucas ran after it and she opted to follow. The Pokemon led them to the edge of the beach, stopping at the water's edge when it realized it had cornered itself. It looked at Lucas and put up its small fists as if looking for a fight. Lucas laughed at the sight and then held out his hand toward it. "And this would be that troublesome Pokemon we warned you about. It's a Chimchar and a really mischievous one at that."

She looked at the little monkey and smiled. Maybe he was a mischievous guy but he had a certain charm to him. The Chimchar noticed her and dropped its fists and scurried over to her. He stared into her eyes like a small puppy that had taken a keen interest in the newcomer. She held out her hand, inching it closer and closer to it. He reached out his hand but at the last moment making a grab for her hat. She had been ready for such a stunt and lurched back, causing it to fall on its stomach. It looked at her, a bit confused that its trick didn't work. He began to jump up and down and she stood up. "Uh, so what now?"

The Chimchar let out a squeal and scurried up her legs, up her body and onto her shoulders. Lucas smirked. "He seems to like you. I haven't seen him do that before."

She winced as he tugged on her ear a little. "Oh, so what does he usually do?"

Lucas frowned and then looked off in the distance. "Hmmm, well he does various things. Sometimes if he sees a Pokeball at their waist, he'll grab it and toss it in the distance. He can also grab someone's hat and take off with it. I've also see him-"

"Okay, okay I think I've heard enough."

He looked at her and nodded. "Well he hasn't done any of those stunts so I'd say you're clear. Are you going to give him a name?"

"A name? You mean like a nickname?"

He nodded. "Yea, I mean you're free to call him by his regular name but it seems a lot of trainers choose their own little names for the Pokemon, to identify with it a bit more."

"Oh I see. I don't really have a good name for him but I'm sure I can think of something. He's a cute little guy so a name is just bound to come to me."

Lucas nodded. "Let's go back to the Professor. I'm sure he'll be happy that Chimchar has found a trainer he likes."

Rowan wore a relieved expression after Lucas had explained what happened. He nodded toward Lucas and folded his arms. "I'm glad to see that he likes someone. I can't tell you the number of trainers who tried to adopt him but were unable to catch his attention. He's a real stubborn one."

She pulled him off her shoulders and set him down but it only took a minute for him to get back on her shoulders. "I-I see what you mean."

Rowan stroked his chin. "I'd like for you to come back tomorrow. There is something I'd like to give you. Invite your friend too because I think he might be able to gain something from this as well."

Lucas looked at the professor with a puzzled look on his face. "Huh?"

Rowan ignored him and gave the first hint of a smile she had seen. "Okay Professor, I'll be back tomorrow! And thank you!"

Just what did he have in store for tomorrow? A Poketech perhaps? She had seen lots of commercials for them and it seemed like they were the new and fancy thing for trainers. Or maybe a Pokedex? That would be a bit more helpful for identifying new Pokemon that she came across as her computer wasn't really portable. Chimchar scurried a little ahead of her, poking around in the grass. She stopped walking and bent down to his level. "Huh, what are you looking for? Did you find something-"

"There you are!"

She jumped in the air and landed on the ground, looking up to see Gavin. He wore a big smile on his face and waved at her. She let out a sigh, trying to calm her racing heart. "A-are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Of course not! Why would I do that? Hey, is this your Pokemon?"

He didn't seem interested in helping her up and she got to her feet as he looked at Chimchar. The chimp didn't seem to care much for Gavin and kept poking around in the grass. "Yep, it's Chimchar. I haven't picked a name out for him yet."

"That's cool. Hey listen, I had another idea!"

She looked up at him, eyebrow raised. He just brimmed with them. "Yes, what is it this time? I hope it's better than your run through the grass and try to avoid getting attacked by wild Pokemon."

He grinned. "Much better! Besides, we probably could have done it. The Startly aren't that aggressive. In fact they tend to fly away if you get close. Me and Rigel had a time trying to track some down to train against."

"Train?"

He looked at her with widened eyes. "Yea, train! You know, like a Trainer? You have to fight wild Pokemon and other trainers to make your Pokemon to improve and get stronger! How else do you expect to do it?"

She blushed a little. "Err, I see your point but fighting wild Pokemon?"

He frowned. "Didn't I just say that?"

"Couldn't you just fight other trainers? I mean do you really need to knock out a bunch of wild Pokemon when there are all those trainers out there instead?"

He shook his head. "It's not my fault some of these Pokemon look to fight. You have to defend yourself."

"I know that Gavin but I mean...doing what you're doing. I don't have an issue with defending yourself but just going out and hunting after wild Pokemon who are just...minding their own business...that seems a bit much."

He laughed. "Oh Jamie, you worry too much. It's nothing to worry about. Pokemon are competitive like that. It's in their nature to fight and compete. You don't have to be a trainer though, you can do whatever you want now that you have a Pokemon."

She nodded, though a bit confused as to what else she could do. "But all you here about on the TV are Pokemon trainers, the gym leaders, the Pokemon League-"

"Yea but remember Rowan? He's just a professor researching the evolution of Pokemon. Then there are the people who dress up their Pokemon and put them in those dumb contests. There is also the Pokeathelon...really, you need to just stop watching so much TV and all the stuff pertaining to trainers. As for me, I'm a trainer through and through."

"So what's this big idea you had?"

He looked a bit bewildered, scratching his head for a minute. He had plenty of ideas but if you stalled him for a bit, he would forget whatever idea he had floating in his head, knocked out by another idea that had come along that didn't even pertain to the situation. A light seemed to flash in his eyes and he smiled. "Ahhh yes! I remember now! You know at the lake how there is a legendary Pokemon there?"

She nodded. "You mean Mispirit?"

"Yep, that's it! I was thinking that we should go catch it!"

"C-catch a legendary Pokemon?"

He nodded as if not realizing the part about it being legendary. "Of course! We can really impress Rowan if we can catch it! Let's go!"

He ran off in the direction of the lake and she stood there, shaking her head. Chimchar started to laugh and she glared at him. "Hey stop that! He means well...I think."

She caught up with Gavin at the lakefront, who stared across the water and at the small island that lay in the middle of the lake with the cavern where Mispirit rested. She put a hand on her hip and frowned. "So how do we get across?"

"I'm thinking. Well we could swim-"

"Swim? That water is icy cold! You'd go into shock a few minutes in, don't even do it!"

Gavin grumbled and kicked a few rocks into the water. "This is so dumb! I'm so close to a legendary Pokemon and yet so far too!"

"Do you even have any Pokeballs to capture it?"

He looked away. "I guess Mispirit will just have to wait. I'll come back a bit later and catch it. Just you wait!"

"So this is where Mispirit lives, huh?" A voice said from behind. Jamie turned around to see a young man standing nearby, with short brown hair. He wore an all black outfit with a large red R on the front, white boots and white gloves. It had to be the tackiest outfit she had seen in some time. He looked at them as if expecting an answer.

"Yea and what about it? We're going to catch him first! You'll either have to deal with it or just go catch some other Pokemon!"

The man chuckled and reached toward his belt, where a couple of pokeballs sat. "How would you like it if I just decided to take your Pokemon instead?"

"I dare you! I bet my Pokemon can crush yours with ease! You better run away! You don't want me fainting your precious Pokemon, do you?"

The man waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Pity that it's in that cavern. I can't get to it now. I'll have to come back later."

"Why are you so interested in it?"

The man shrugged. "Didn't you say that it was legendary? Why wouldn't anyone be interested in a legendary Pokemon? They are usually some of the most powerful Pokemon around. Why bother with all these weak ones when you can go for the best?"

Gavin shrugged. "Err well, I guess I can't argue there."

The man didn't say anymore and walked off. Gavin watched him leave and then turned to her. "He's a jerk! We can't let him catch Mispirit before us! That would be some serious suckage!"

She looked away from him. "I guess."

"You guess? You guess? How can you say that? How can you think that? How can you even-"

"Gavin, Gavin just calm down. I'm a bit more concerned about that guy. Do you think he's part of some organization?"

Gavin laughed. "An organization who has their members dress in tacky clothes? Com on, all black outfit, white boots? White gloves? How stupid is that? How can you even take someone like that seriously?"

It was a pretty stupid outfit but the guy did seem serious, even looking ready to use a Pokemon of his own to take Gavin's. Of course Gavin would have taken his challenge but...

"You've got that look again," he said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Look, what look?"

Gavin grinned. "The look you have when you're thinking too hard. You frown, you fold your arms and you became all...distant."

She looked at Chimchar, who just shrugged. "I do not Gavin! Besides, I wouldn't be thinking if you did some thinking of your own about the situation!"

He yawned. "Again, you're thinking too hard about this. Well, I'm gonna go home and rest. Tomorrow, me and Luther are going to train some more and then travel to Oreburgh so we can take on the gym leader there!"

"A-a-already?"

He nodded, beaming with pride. "Yep, I decided I will be a trainer and that's what trainers do! They train up a team of Pokemon and take on the gym leaders! I'm going to become the best trainer ever!"

He may be a bit reckless but she couldn't fault him for knowing what he wanted to do. "I'm sure you'll do okay."

He laughed. "Okay? Okay? There's no place for okay! I can only be the best!


	2. Chapter 2

"So is this the Pokemon you got from Professor Rowan?" Her mom asked when she returned home. Jamie took Chimchar off her shoulders and set him on the ground.

"Yep, he's a Chimchar. I'm not sure what name to give him though. I can't just keep calling him Chimchar!"

"What about that one video-game you played? The one with monkeys in it?"

Jamie's eyes lit up. "Th-that's a great idea! I wasn't even thinking about that but now that you mentioned it, I bet I could find a great name from there!"

She made a beeline for the stairs and heard her mother clear her throat. "Don't be long, dinner will be ready."

"Oh, I won't be long, I promise."

"Oh and remember that I'll be out of town for a bit so remember to have your phone on you if you go anywhere."

"Okay, don't worry!"

She scurried up to her room and sat on the rug in the middle of the room. She looked at Chimchar and frowned. "So what can we call you? Maybe we can call you...Donkey Kong?"

Chimchar frowned at the sound of that and shook his head. So much for that idea. She glanced at the blank TV screen. "Then how about...Kiddy?"

Again, Chimchar frowned. This time he stuck out his tongue and turned his attention to other things, like her desk with the computer. He crawled up onto the chair and she hurried over to pull him away. "What about Funky?"

Chimchar growled as she fished him out of her chair and sat down on it instead. She set him down on the floor and sighed. "You're pretty picky about names...oh I know, how about Diddy?"

Chimchar scratched his head and nodded. "Oh, you like it? That can work then, I'll call you Diddy-"

Before she could finish her thought, her phone rang. She picked it up and answered it, not even glancing at the caller ID, she had a feeling she knew who it was. "Hello Jamie!"

She winced at Gavin's booming voice, his greeting leaving a ringing in her ears. "Indoor voice Gavin, indoor voice."

"Oh...yea, sorry but listen. I was wondering if you wanted to have a trainer battle."

"A-a-a trainer battle?"

"Yea! A trainer battle, a battle between the two Pokemon we got today."

She looked at Chimchar, who had started to fiddle with the controller. "Haven't you been training with your Pokemon though? I haven't done any sort of training with Diddy. It wouldn't be much of a battle."

He laughed. "He hasn't gotten that strong! You can only do so much fighting wild Pokemon anyways. It's helpful sure but it's kind of useless. You're better off fighting trainers."

She nodded. "Then go fight a trainer who has been training their Pokemon. Me and Diddy aren't ready for that!"

"Oh come on. You said so yourself that you don't know what to do now that you have a Pokemon. At least give it a shot, you may like it."

"You're only trying to suggest that so you can beat me and then rub it in my face."

"Of course not! I really want to see how your Pokemon would do! It'll be fun!"

She looked at Diddy again. "Are you up for a battle?"

Diddy looked at her as if he didn't know what she was talking about. Wonderful. He had as much enthusiasm for the idea as her. What made it worse is that Gavin would not stop bugging her until his little competitive itch had been scratched. "Okay fine-"

"Great! I'll meet you by the entrance to town in a few. Don't even think of being late!"

A few minutes later, she met him by the town entrance, his Turtwig standing next to him, looking a bit composed. Gavin stood with his chest puffed out, sure of his upcoming victory no doubt. Stupid grin too, it'd be a little nice to wipe it off, if only for a minute. "Hope you're ready. My Turtwig has crushed the local population and is in dire need of a challenge!"

She put a hand on her hip. "And I suppose I can provide it. You better be right. If Diddy gets hurt pretty bad, I'm going to be furious."

That seemed to cause a bit of hesitation in his face but it soon passed and he stepped back. "Don't worry. I won't be too hard on you. Or try not to be!"

She looked at Diddy and nodded. "Okay Diddy..."

"Rigel, use Tackle!"

Her heart fell and she shot a glare at Gavin, just in time to watch Turtwig take a running start and slam into Diddy's stomach with a powerful blow. The blow knocked Diddy back a few feet. "Hey, no fair Gavin! I wasn't even ready yet!"

"Ready? Your Pokemon was out, I'd say it was ready to go!"

She looked at Diddy, who had gotten to his feet. It shook its fist at Turtwig and began to charge after it. It's small fist burst into flames, causing Gavin to cry out. "H-hey Diddy, don't-"

"I thought you said you didn't train it?"

She looked at Gavin and shook her head. "I never trained him! Though Professor did mention something about other trainers so maybe they tried to train him or something."

She turned her attention back to the fight, which looked to be over. Rigel was lying on the ground, gasping for breath with a few burns on its body. Diddy stood a few feet away, flexing its tiny muscle and sporting a big smile on its face. Gavin picked Rigel up and laughed. "That's okay Rigel, you did good. We'll get them back."

She shook her head. "That's too stressful."

"How can you say that? It was pretty fun! Your Pokemon seemed to enjoy it quite a bit! Maybe you should-"

"Nope, nope. Not happening," she said. Gavin shook his head.

"You're pretty stubborn. I bet you'll come around eventually. Well that was fun. We need to do it again!"

Not if she could help it.

The next day as she got ready to head out to Sandgem, she heard a knock at the door. Diddy made a beeline for the door but opening the door seemed to be a bit beyond him as he grabbed hold of the knob and swung on it. She shook her head with a smile and walked over. She looked down at him and laughed. "You have to unlock the door first."

She glanced out the window and noticed it was Gavin's mother, Alice. She opened the door and smiled. "Ahh hullo."

Alice smiled back but wore a worried look on her face. "I'm sorry but have you seen Gavin? Did he stop by this morning?"

She shook her head. "I haven't seen him at all since yesterday. Why, did something happen to him?"

Alice laughed. "Well not really. He talked about traveling to Oreburgh to take on the gym leader and ran out before I could give him this parcel. I came by here to see if he was here but I guess not."

"Perhaps if I run into him, I can hand it to him?"

"Really? That would be really helpful for me. I just...that boy, he's just always in such a rush. I guess he gets it from his father."

That piqued her interest. First she had heard that he had a father. "His father?"

She laughed. "Oh, he's in charge of the Battle Frontier so he's usually pretty busy. He comes home every so often, talking about the trainers he faced or watched the past week or so. His name is Palmer."

"I-I didn't realize Gavin's dad was so...famous."

Alice smiled. "Oh it's nothing too big. He doesn't mention us much so we can maintain our privacy and all. You can only imagine how it might be if everyone knew that I was married to Palmer and that Gavin was his son."

Jamie nodded. "I can see why. You be swamped by trainers, the media...everyone. Well if I run into him, I'll be sure to give him the package."

"Thanks, I'd really appreciate it," she said as she handed over a small package wrapped in brown paper.

Once she closed the door, she leaned against it and slid down to the ground. She looked at Diddy and shook her head. "His father is Palmer...Palmer? N-No wonder he's so into battling. I just didn't think that-huh. Oh yea, I need to get to Sandgem!"

A few minutes later, she stood outside the entrance to Rowan's lab. She bent over, gasping for breath while Diddy pointed at her and smiled. "Oh stop it. Not all of us can be all fast and quick like you!"

Diddy laughed before doing a few cartwheels in front of her. She stood up straight, having regained her breath and folded her arms. "Now you're just being a showoff."

"Ahhh cool, you made it Jamie."

She turned to see Lucas standing nearby, with a Startly at his side. He looked around. "Ahh hello Lucas. If you're looking for Gavin-"

"I take it you couldn't catch him?"

She shook her head. "Knowing him, he's probably halfway to the Pokemon League by now."

Lucas laughed. "That's too bad. The professor had to go attend to an errand so he asked me to give these to you."

He handed her a light blue Pokedex and several Pokeballs. Her mouth fell open. "W-w-wow, my own Pokedex?"

"Yep, the professor thought you could help him with his research. The Pokedex is loaded with quite a number of Pokemon already but there are still many more out there we don't know about, especially when it comes to their evolution, how they evolve and such. These Pokeballs are useful for catching any Pokemon you want."

She looked over the small Pokedex, yes growing wide as she scanned the list. "Any Pokemon?"

"Yep, some people capture strong Pokemon to make an effective team. Other just choose random Pokemon but quite a few people don't care whether they are weak or strong, they pick the ones they like."

She nodded. "I don't think I'd really care for strong Pokemon but I can see why others might."

Lucas laughed. "Yea, I've thought about giving the whole competitive training a shot but I didn't care much for it. So what will you do?"

"I think I'm going to travel to Jubelife and check things out there. I might go as far as Oreburgh today. I'm sure I can see quite a few Pokemon along the way."

"That does sound like a good plan. Well sorry I can't chat but I need to be going. There are a few things I need to do before meeting up with the professor. Have a good day!"

She waved goodbye and once he had left, she looked over the Pokedex. It had information on Diddy's evolutions, Monferno and Infernape. Monferno looked fine but Infernape looked a little too intense. Scanning through the list, she came across one Pokemon that did pique her interest, a cat like Pokemon named Shinx. She had always wanted a cat and if this was her easiest way to get one, then darnit, she would. "So just where can I find you? Wow, on the way to Jubelife? This is going to be easier than I thought!"

The route north of Sandgem had a few meadows and a large patch of woods, full of tall pine trees. She approached the meadows and thought she could see something rummaging in the grass. She moved a bit closer and realized it was a Shinx. It seemed to have an odd color variation from what she saw in the Pokedex but she could deal with that another time. "Okay Diddy, I need you to make sure he doesn't try to escape or-"

Before she could finish, the Shinx had turned around and noticed them. It crouched down, its hair raising up as it growled at them. It's tail stood up straight with sparks flying off the star shaped end. "So he's an electric Pokemon. Let's hope he isn't too strong."

Diddy scurried off to another side, trying to trap it in. It could still dart away if it chose so and she tossed a Pokeball at it. The Shinx swatted it away with its tail and let out a growl. She jumped back as a little spark of electricity hit the ground near her. "Yikes...I guess I better weaken it first. Umm, Diddy...use Fire Punch!"

Diddy spun its arm around a few times, causing fire to surround his fist but the Shinx didn't look like it'd let Diddy get the attack off so it charged at the little chimp. Diddy seemed to have expected that as it jumped to the side as the cat launched a flying tackle. It landed in the dirt nearby and as it got back up and turned around, Diddy socked it straight in the face. She gasped as the Shinx stumbled back from the blow. Diddy charged in again and punched at it again, causing her to wince. For a small chimp, he packed a punch. "Okay Diddy, I think that's enough, thanks!"

She pulled out another Pokeball and looked at it. Hopefully it'd work this time. She tossed it at the Shinx, who didn't swat it away this time. The ball captured the Shinx and landed on the ground. It rocked from side to side a few times, causing her to hold her breath in anticipation. It finally stopped moving and she let out a large sigh of relief. "That was close! My first captured Pokemon!"

She picked it up off the ground and held it in her hands. It felt warm to the touch and she pressed it to her cheek. Diddy looked at her with a curious look on her face and she smiled. "We'll heal him up when we get to Jubelife, let's go."

They didn't get very far along the route until they ran into a young boy dressed in what looked like beekeeper clothes. He carried a large net and scanned the grass like a hawk. She and Diddy exchanged a curious look and she cleared her throat. The boy jumped in surprise and looked at her. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a whiny sort of voice.

"I was just passing through and noticed you in that getup, poking around in the grass. Are you looking for bug Pokemon?"

He nodded. "Yes, exactly! I'm gonna become the best bug trainer since Aaron but I'm having trouble trying to catch a Combee. I've been at it for several hours and no luck!"

She shook her head. "I seem to remember that in one of the Pokemon Talk episodes, Professor Rowan mentioned that they tend to be attracted to sweet smelling trees. I'm sure if you tried to dabble some honey on one of the trees-"

"Oh don't tell me you're one of those!"

"One of those? What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

He looked at her and folded his arms. "You're just one of those people who wish they were a trainer. You even think you're one because you watch that program religiously and can regurgitate all the facts from it."

Her mouth fell open. "I...uh...so what if I like the program so much? I just haven't had a Pokemon of my own up until now! I don't consider myself some sort of expert or anything like that. I just love the show! What's so wrong about that?"

The boy shrugged and looked at Diddy. "So you're a newbie trainer, huh?"

"I just got him, yes."

The boy laughed. "A rookie trainer? Well then how about a battle?"

He was only doing this because he thought she was a rookie, ugh. "A battle."

"What, are you scared now?"

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Whatever. Just hurry up and stop wasting my time."

He laughed, egged on by her annoyance and summoned his own Pokemon. "Go Kricketot!"

A bug Pokemon? Weren't they supposed to be weak against fire? She stepped back as Diddy stepped forward. The bug rubbed its antennae together, causing a somewhat soothing melody to be heard through the forest. She looked down at Diddy and noticed it yawning and its eyes beginning to droop. "D-Diddy, wake up!"

He woke up all right, right as the Kricketot made a flying tackle that bowled the chimp over. She gasped as Diddy rolled over a few times, letting out a few squeals of pain as he did so. She hurried over to it but by that time, he had gotten up. He shook his fist at the bug and she sighed. "Good, you're okay-"

"It was just a simple tackle. Do you always worry this much about your Pokemon? Are you just going to baby-"

"Diddy, Fire Punch!"

The bug trainer yelled out in shock as Diddy charged forward and nailed the bug straight in the face with a fire punch. That blow knocked the Kricketot into the guy's chest, causing him to fall to the ground. He looked down at his bug which had more than just a dazed look on it! "Hey, you knocked him out!"

She blushed. "Sorry, I kind of forgot how strong Diddy is against bugs. I probably should have told him to hold back."

The boy got to his feet and hugged his Kricketot, making her feel a bit worse. Diddy climbed onto her shoulders and she heard more voices nearby. A couple more boys, dressed in similar attire appeared around some trees. They each held a bug catching net, with a pokeball in each one. "Tristan, what happened to you? We were trying to catch a wild Combee that had wandered a bit from its natural area, you should have seen it! I think it may have been one of those rare female ones, right Logan?"

The one named Logan nodded. He had short black hair and a net with black tape near the end of it. He set his net down and fished out the Pokeball from it. The other guy had short brown hair and his net looked like it had to be taped together. The trainer she had just fought, Tristan, got to his feet and grumbled. "I'm fine. I thought I saw one too and went chasing after it but instead I ran into this rookie trainer. She beat my Pokemon."

They both looked at her with curious looks on their faces. Ugh, she had become a little too popular. That was the annoying thing about being a trainer, you beat one of them and soon everyone on the route was approaching you for a battle. "Wow a girl trainer...I mean sorry. It's not meant as an insult. We just don't see a lot of girl trainers around here, especially since-"

"So getting past that, do you want to battle? We've had enough hunting bug Pokemon for today and it'd be fun to let our Pokemon stretch their legs and compete!"

Darnit. She looked at Diddy, who looked at her with a smile. He didn't seem to mind. She sighed. "Well, I guess so."

"Cool, double battle with me and Tyler?"

"D-d-double battle? I er only have one able Pokemon and that's Diddy. The other one I have is kind of...hurt at the moment," she said. She looked down at Diddy, who flexed its muscles as if wanting the challenge. She knelt next to him and looked him in the eyes. "Are you sure about that? I mean this is two on one. It'll be a rough fight."

Diddy shrugged it off and jumped around. "What's he doing?"

She got to her feet and looked at the trio, putting her arms on her hips. "He wants to fight anyways."

Tyler and Logan summoned their two Pokemon, a Startly and Wurmple. Another bug Pokemon but the bird could be an issue. "Okay Diddy, let's take care of Startly first!"

"Startly, use Peck," Tyler yelled. The bird charged at Diddy, its sharp beak ready for the attack. Diddy swung its fist around but she shook her head.

"Throw some dust in its eyes!"

Diddy stopped preparing to throw another punch and grabbed some dirt before flinging it into the Startly's eyes. It caused the bird to miss its attack and crash into the dirt nearby. Before she could celebrate that little victory, Logan's Wurmple had spit some sort of silky string at Diddy, slowing him down a bit. Diddy began to pull away the string, distracting him enough for the bug to bowl him over with a flying tackle. Diddy got to its feet a second or two after the blow, just as the Wurmple came in for another tackle. It also made it an easy target for a fiery punch straight to the head. Combined with its momentum, the blow knocked out the bug with ease. Diddy turned its attention to Startly, still trying to get the dust out of its eyes. Diddy charged in and delivered a fiery punch to the top of its head, slamming its head into the dirt.

Jamie winced from the blow. Diddy backed away from the bird as it launched another attack, that missed. Diddy scratched at its face a few times and Jamie let out a sigh. "Diddy, I think that's quite enough."

Tyler ran over to his Startly and picked it up, brushing away the dirt from its eyes. The bird let out a loud squawk and tried to fly away but he whispered something to it and it began to calm down. He looked up at her and smiled. "I guess we shouldn't have underestimated you."

"It's okay. Diddy is a little too enthusiastic about fighting so I have to remind him to cool it at times."

Logan shrugged. "Some Pokemon just like fighting. I'd say he really enjoys it, which might be why he can overdo it a little."

"Ugh, why are you guys being so nice to her? You guys are taking your losses a little too easy," Tristan said. He joined the duo and shook his head. "You guys weren't here beforehand when she was trying to be an insufferable know it all."

She stomped her foot. "A what? I wasn't being an insufferable know it all!"

"Come on, we need to get going. The Combee only like coming out in the morning and if we keep wasting our time here, we'll be plum out of luck!"

He ran off and the other two stood there, looking at each other before following after him without even a goodbye. She shook her head and grumbled. "Please don't tell me that they are all like this."

Jubelife City was about she had remembered it on TV, a small city built on a large plateau of stone. Several skyscrapers pierced the sky, the main one being the Poketech Corporate Headquarters. She noticed another skyscraper off to the side with a Pokeball icon on the front of it. It had to be new because she didn't recognize it before. Too distracted, she didn't notice Lucas walk up to her until he cleared his throat. "Ahhh, Lucas."

"I see you're interested in the Global Terminal."

"What is it? I've never heard of it before."

He nodded. "Well, it's a place where you can connect with Pokemon trainers from other regions like Kanto or Hoehn. You can also use it to trade Pokemon with those other regions. It's a pretty fantastic place."

She looked at the building again. "Wow! That does sound like a great place to visit-"

"There's just one catch," he said, a tinge of disappointment rising in his voice. He folded his arms. "You have to have the badge from Oreburgh before you can use it."

She let out a sigh. "Of course. It'd be something like that."

"Getting the badge shouldn't be that tough. You and your Pokemon seem to get along real well. How many have you caught?"

She blushed and looked away. "Well I really haven't caught many. I caught a Shinx but I really haven't caught anything else."

He frowned if only for a minute. "Oh, no biggie. Most of the Pokemon around here are real common anyways. I'm sure once you get a ways away from here, then you'll start to encounter lesser known Pokemon."

She nodded. "That was the plan. I mean he's seen all these already. I only caught a Shinx because I love cats and he seemed like a nice one."

"Hey since you're a new trainer and all, I should take you to this one place. It's kind of like a beginner's school for trainers. They'll teach you some of the basics including all the types of Pokemon there are and which is effective against which and how some types are useless against others. Considering there are seventeen different types-"

"S-s-seventeen? Are you kidding?"

He shook his head and gave a reassuring smile. Not that it'd do any good. "Hey, don't worry. Just don't try to overwhelm yourself at first. So you have a fire and an electric Pokemon? The fire will be effective against bug, plant and ice. The electric Pokemon will be effective against flying and water. You following me so far?"

She nodded. "Yes, go on."

He beamed with pride. "Okay but on the flip side, water, rock and ground will be effective against the fire Pokemon. Electric will be beaten by ground as well and your attacks will have no effect on it."

She looked at Diddy and shook her head. "So if I run into someone with a ground Pokemon, I'm in trouble then."

He shrugged. "You would be but that's why you have a Pokemon that covers your weaknesses. So while your two Pokemon on hand have an issue with ground, you could grab a ice, water or grass Pokemon, who would take care of the ground Pokemon. You get what I'm-"

"Yes, yes! Wow, you really know your stuff Lucas!"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, when you hang around with the Professor, you tend to pick up a few things. You'd be surprised just how much he knows."

She shook her head. "I can't even begin to imagine how much he knows."

He laughed. "So do you want to go check out this place? It's not too far away."

She nodded. "Yes, let's go check it out. I may not care much for battling but it looks like it'll be helpful for me to know anyways."

As they walked along the main street, she got a whiff of the air. Unlike the air in Twinleaf or Sandgem, the air here seemed a bit artificial and stale. It would take a little getting used to but it made her a little homesick for Twinleaf. She bumped into Lucas, who had stopped walking. "Lucas?"

"Uh, there's this guy scurrying around and he looks a wee bit weird."

She walked out from behind him and noticed a middle aged man with a head full of messy black hair, looking around before darting behind random objects. He wore dark colored clothing under a large brown overcoat that he might trip over if he wasn't too careful. He spoke in hushed tones and would often speak a few foreign words. She looked at Lucas who looked at her. "Is this guy...alright?"

"I hope he is because it's a bit odd to be acting like this."

"Let's ask him," she said. She walked up to the man, who wore a heavy scent of musky cologne and tapped his shoulder. He jumped in the air, twitching and fidgeting like a madman.

"What? Sacre Bleu! How did you unmask me as member of the International Police? What tipped you off?"

"Huh?"

He frowned at them. "Who are you? Are you also with the International Police?"

She sighed and shook her head. "No, my name is Jamie and this is Lucas. We were just walking along and noticed you...umm...what are you doing exactly?"

He shook his head. "I am a member of the International Police, I cannot simply tell you what I am doing. Non!"

"Well we are both trainers, so that means we travel. If we see anything suspicious, if we run into you again, we could let you know," Lucas said. The man looked at him with a stern look but his expression changed from stern to realization.

"Ahhh yes, yes. That sounds like good plan! Very good! Therefore, if you see thieves, any, you must let me know!"

Her heart fell. "Thieves? What kind of thieves?"

"Pokemon! They are Pokemon thieves! Thieves of the lowest level! They have been at work a lot! There have been a rise in thefts so we are investigating!"

"So just what do they look like?"

He frowned. "You probably won't recognize the name but they go by the name of Rocket. Team Rocket! They dress in all black but wear white caps, gloves and boots. They were active in Kanto years ago and caused a great deal of trouble, including take over the Silph company. They were defeated in Johto and were thought to have disbanded but wrong we are!"

Jamie cleared her throat. "If that's true, I remember running into a member of Team Rocket near Twinleaf-"

Before she could finish, he had run off, leaving them in the dust. Lucas dusted himself off and adjusted his cap. "He reminds me of your friend."

She coughed a little and shook her head. "Gavin would at least give you the courtesy of finishing your sentence!"

Lucas laughed but that cheerful mood only lasted for a short while. "Still it concerns me that there are people out there so willing to steal Pokemon. What's the point? It's not that hard to obtain your own."

"People can be that lazy but I'm sure they have other reasons for it."

"You're probably right about it," he said. He turned. "Oh yea, the trainer's school is this small brick building to your left! The one with the red roof and the mini clock tower."

She turned to see it. It reminded her of the old schoolhouses one would find in the smaller towns. It appeared as big as your neighborhood store, sandwiched between several larger buildings. It's old rustic design making it stick out like a sore thumb amongst the sterilized steel buildings nearby. Perhaps that was its purpose, making it easier for new trainers to find it. A large sign sat just outside the doorway, with a list of lessons and tips for the day. "Oh, I see."

"They'll give you all the information you could use. I've spent some time in there and it was helpful for me and I can imagine it'll be the same for you. Of course if you watch the Professor's program a bit, you've already got a head start! Well I better be going, I have a few errands to run for him and I don't want to waste your time!"

"Thanks, give my regards to the Professor!"

Lucas gave one last wave before hurrying off and she smiled. "Well, time to see how helpful this place can be."

She stepped into the building and into a large classroom that reminded her a bit of her classroom back in grade school. The main part of the classroom had two of the walls plastered with Pokemon posters, the biggest one being a Pikachu one. Several large tables sat near the walls with chairs in front of them and small stacks of paper on each one. There had to be at least six stacks on each table. Near the back of the classroom lay several marker-boards, with who knows what written on them. A large white divider sat in the middle of the room and on the other side, she could hear trainers going at it in what sounded like some heated battles. A middle aged woman with short brown hair, large rimmed glasses and wearing a long dark blue dress, sat in a chair with her nose buried in a thick book. She walked in a little before someone crashed into her. Diddy let out a yelp as she stumbled back from the blow. "H-hey, what's the big idea?"

"Oh, Jamie! What took you so long?"

She let out a sigh as Gavin dusted himself off. "What took me so long? I was besieged by trainers on the way here! It's like everywhere you go, bam a trainer appears and wants to battle!"

He shrugged. "Well that's kind of how trainers are. The only way we get better is to go out and battle everyone we meet! Even if those people aren't necessarily trainers."

She looked at Diddy, who shrugged. "I see. Is there any way to show that I'm not a trainer per se? Like a flag, a little card-

"Honestly, you can just turn them down. I know trainers can be a bit forceful like Gavin says but you can be just as forceful back when you don't want to battle," an older voice said. She turned to see the teacher standing nearby, having set down her book and joined the conversation. She smiled. "My name is Jenny and I run the Jubelife Pokemon School. We provide as much information as we can for new trainers and owners of Pokemon in general."

Jamie nodded. "Yea, I was directed here by Professor Rowan's assistant."

Jenny smiled. "Ahh Rowan. He helped start this school. He thought it would be real helpful in offering more specific knowledge that he didn't discuss on his show."

"Yea it's helpful but I already know most of it," Gavin said.

Of course he did. She reached into her bag and handed him the parcel. "Your mom told me to give that to you."

Jenny retreated back to her chair while Gavin took it. "Oh, really? Why didn't she just hand it to me before I left?"

"Probably because you ran out of there before she could think about it. If you had slowed down for-"

"Slow down? Slow down? There's no time for slowing down! If I slow down, someone else-well hey, there's a couple of town maps in here!"

She leaned forward, trying to et a look. "Really?"

"Yea but I only need one. You can have the other one," he said as he handed it to her. She accepted it and smiled. He tossed the wrapping in the trash and held the map in his fist. "Well I've absorbed all the knowledge I can from here so I'm out and on my way to Oreburgh!"

And with that, he left in a flash, the door flapping in his wake. Jenny cleared her throat and Jamie turned her attention to her. "Is he always like that? That's about the same way he came in, he almost broke the glass in on the door because he came in with such force and speed!"

Jamie looked at the door and watched it stop swinging after a few seconds and shook her head. "No, see that was pretty tame for him. If he was in a huge hurry, the door would still be swinging for another good minute."

Jenny laughed. "He wasn't lying about knowing a few things. What little things he didn't know, he was quick to learn more about it. He took on several of our young trainers and beat them all. He looks he has a bright future as far as battling is concerned."

"He takes it pretty seriously so I wouldn't doubt that-"

"So what about you? You don't seem to be a big fan of battling so what are you interested in?"

She looked at the ground. "Oh I don't know. The professor asked me to help him some with his research and all but how am I supposed to know if that's the right path for me?"

Jenny frowned. "So why don't you like battling?"

She looked at Diddy again and smiled. "I always worry about whether I'm working him too hard or how hurt he is. I worry every time he takes a big hit and wonder if he'll be able to get up from it and-"

"You seem like a compassionate person, one who cares about the well being of their Pokemon. All trainers are taught to be like that but then there are others who go above and beyond that, the Rangers."

"Rangers?"

She grabbed a couple of pieces of paper off the desk and handed it to her. "They capture and train a few companion Pokemon but are less interested in battling and more interested in protecting Pokemon from neglectful trainers. They often have to even protect trainers from angry Pokemon as well."

Her eyes widened as Jenny explained about the Rangers a bit more. To her, this sounded a bit more interesting than just going around and battling other people's Pokemon. The one thing she could not worry enough about was the well being was her own Pokemon


	3. Chapter 3

"Just ask around? Ask around? She makes it sound so easy, like going up to a perfect stranger and asking them-"

Diddy interrupted her rant with a cheeky laugh of his own, which she shot down with a simple glare. "Besides, I don't even know where to look."

"You stupid...stupid Pokemon! Can't you do anything right? No wait, don't answer that. It's obvious you can't! Ugh, why do I even bother?"

She heard what sounded like a brash young man, not much older than her. She turned around and could hear his angry voice coming from behind a nearby building. He didn't seem to even care that people could overhear him as he continued to lay into his Pokemon. Her heart sank as he hurled insult after insult until she couldn't stand to hear it. She hurried around the building with Diddy to find a young guy with messy brown hair and a long weed sticking out of his mouth, dressed in an old t shirt and worn out blue overalls. He looked like he came from one of the nearby farms that occupied this part of the country but most of the people from there were usually kind to their Pokemon.

The poor Pokemon he berated turned out to be a small blue penguin like creature, a Piplup by the looks of it. With each harsh word, it grew more and more downcast as if bearing each insult on its tiny shoulders. Jamie narrowed her eyes at him for a minute before stomping her foot on the ground. "Hey you!"

The guy turned around and looked at her with a slight dazed look. "What is it? Don't you see I'm a little busy here?"

"Yes, I see you're abusing that poor Piplup. What did it do to deserve this?"

The guy looked at her with an incredulous look. "What did it do? What did it do? It can't win, that's what! I'm a trainer and we're in the business of winning matches, if you didn't know. And to win, I need strong Pokemon that can get the job done. I took this thing, assuming that he could do it but instead I'm rewarded with defeat after defeat!"

He moved his foot back like he was about to kick it and she found herself throwing an empty Pokeball at his head. He noticed it at the last second and jumped away, allowing it to bounce against the walls and land near Piplup. He glared at her and then laughed. "Stop laughing! You shouldn't be trying to kick it either!"

"Fine, I'll just leave it here. Let it fend for itself. If it's battling is as good as I thought, it won't last the night!"

He walked away and she watched him leave. She then turned her attention to the poor Piplup and bent down to its level. "Are you okay?"

It looked at her with the most pathetic look any living thing could give. She shook her head and gave it a potion. It seemed to do the trick a little as its physical condition seemed to improve but would that do anything for its mental state of mind? "Perhaps I should take you back to the sea. You can be with other Pokemon like you and not have to be stuck with a neglectful trainer like him."

She returned to the shoreline just south of Sandgem. She remembered on a program of Pokemon Talk a few weeks back, Rowan mentioned a large colony of Piplup to the south of Sandgem. If he could catch a nice current, he could make it out there with ease. She set him down by the water. "Go on."

It looked at the water and then turned to her, flapping its wings. Diddy hopped down from her shoulders and tried to push the little penguin in. This got Piplup fired up from its earlier downcast look and it began chasing Diddy in circles around her, flapping its wings with a fury and trying in earnest to peck at Diddy, who wasn't having any of it. "Diddy! Piplup! Stop it, both of you! You guys shouldn't be fighting now!"

They ignored her and continued this little show. She bent down and put her hand out, stopping Diddy in his tracks. She turned and grabbed Piplup by its wing and glared at both of them. "Stop it, both of you! Diddy, you didn't have to try and shove him into the ocean. And Piplup, don't you want to go out there? There are other Pokemon just like you! You don't have to worry about dealing with another abusive trainer like that!"

It looked at Diddy and then at her. Each time she tried to show him the water, he would look at it and then turn away. This went on for a few before she threw up her hands and stood up. "So then...what do you want? Do you want to come with me then?"

He flapped his wings at the sound of that but Diddy shook his head at the sound of that. Jamie shook her head. "Come on Diddy, I don't see why its a bad idea. It's important to have a balanced party anyways, I think-"

"I'd say your well on your way to a balanced party."

Jamie froze in place and Diddy began to yelp in the opposite direction. She turned around to see a girl about her age, standing nearby. She had jet black hair which she wore in two ponytails and dressed in what looked like a private school uniform, consisting of a dark blue blouse and a matching colored miniskirt. She wore dark red stockings and a pair of black loafers. She bowed toward her and laughed. "Sorry about frightening you. I just noticed you when you were saving that Pokemon from that trainer and was curious what you would do with that poor Pokemon. My name is Roxanne."

"Jamie. As you can see, I tried to release him but he didn't want that by the looks of it."

"He sees that you treated him with kindness so he figures you're the kind of trainer he'd prefer."

"I guess. I don't think I'm that good of a trainer though."

Roxanne laughed. "You showed enough. So are you an actual trainer, who plans to travel around the region, challenging gym leaders and building a strong team? Or-"

"For now, I'm thinking about being a Ranger. I don't really care much for battling but being a Ranger seems like something that I'd like. I just got my first Pokemon yesterday so..."

Roxanne let her trail off before nodding. "I get it. I think it's important not to rush it. There's no rush when deciding what you want to do as far as Pokemon are concerned. It took me a year before I knew what I wanted to do, which was become a leader."

"A gym leader you mean?"

She nodded with a smile. She gave a little curtsy. "Rustboro Gym Leader and master of the Rock Pokemon!"

Rock Pokemon? That was an interesting choice. All the Rock Pokemon she had seen were not very appealing. They either looked too weird, too blocky or just look too much like rocks. "What make you choose to become a master of Rock Pokemon? They all look sooo boring."

She sighed. "That's what everyone says about Rock Pokemon. That's why they're so overlooked. To most people they're just rocks, something you see everyday, like the sun rising in the morning or the birds chirping. They kick them around, walk over them and treat them like dirt. There is nothing flashy about them, they're like you said, boring but I think there is a hidden beauty to them. They still weather the storm and can withstand the best you throw at them. It's tough seeing so many of them out there because it'd do a lot of trainers some good if you had one-"

"Oh, I see," Jamie said, interrupting her mid rant. If she hadn't stopped her, Roxanne might still be going. She shook her head. "The only rock Pokemon I tend to see are Geodude and Onyx."

She waved her finger. "Ahhh, see? That's what most people think when it comes to Rock Pokemon but there are so many more species to consider like Kabuto, Aerodactyl, Nosepass, Larvitar or maybe Lunatone. If people actually looked into them more, they'd probably find a Rock Pokemon they'd like. What about you?"

"Huh?" She looked at Diddy and Piplup before returning her glance at Roxanne. "Me? I don't even know."

"Which one of them sound like something you would like?"

"I-I-I'm not sure. I'd have to give it some thought. I never really thought about using a Rock Pokemon."

Roxanne sighed. "Well just give it some thought."

Eager to change the subject, Jamie fired off another question. "So if you're the leader of Rustboro, what are you doing out here?"

"Well...you have Brendan and May to thank for that. He's the Champion of the Hoehn region, the new champion that is. He crushed every Gym leader, swept the Pokemon league and easily beat the Elite Four and the former Champion, Wallace. May is a friend of his and while she didn't do too well in the Pokemon League, she still beat all of the Gym leaders about as easy as him. I felt like my team could do better so I decided to come out here as an unknown trainer and get some worthwhile training here, while expanding my knowledge of Pokemon as well. That's why."

She rubbed the back of her head. "Brendan? What kind of team does he have?"

Roxanne didn't answer for a minute before shaking her head. "His Pokemon were just so strong and he was good to his Pokemon as well, that combination just-"

"So he had a really balanced team?"

"The best. He even impressed Steven, another former Champion who gave up his position to just travel. It stunned me."

"So if you're the master of Rock Pokemon, are you going to try and win with a team full of the same Pokemon?"

Roxanne laughed. "I take it you don't know anything about dual types. There are quite a few Pokemon that are Rock but have another type as well, like water, grass, dark or psychic. I already have a couple of those so it's just filling out the rest of the team."

"Hmm, so who do you have in your team at the moment? I have a water, fire and electric."

Roxanne smiled. "That sounds like a good start to a team. As for my team, I have my beloved Nosepass, Kabuto and Larvitar. I was planning to travel to Oreburgh and take on the gym leader there. Perhaps you could...show me around? This is my first time being in Sinnoh and it'd be helpful having someone who knew the region."

Jamie looked at Piplup and Diddy. On one hand she seemed a bit annoying when she got going on her Rock themed rants but perhaps it was just because she was so dedicated as a leader. And since she was a leader, she might be able to learn a few things from her. She nodded. "That sounds fine by me."

To get to Oreburgh, one had to travel along Route 203, a nice little road that went through several large meadows, spread out across three hills, each atop of the other, making a natural staircase so to speak. A small dirt road cut through the meadows and led up to the Oreburgh Gate. There looked to be a few trainers in the meadows and Jamie let out a sigh, remembering her first encounter with trainers which hadn't gone too well. "So once we get through here and then that small cave, we'll be in Oreburgh."

"Well that's not bad at all. I thought we had a bit of a longer trip than that."

Jamie shook her head. "No but the next town is a bit of a longer trip than Oreburgh. Well the trip between here and Canalave is pretty short but you need a Pokemon that can is strong enough to carry you across the bay."

Roxanne nodded. "I've heard of that city just a little. Doesn't it have the largest library in Sinnoh?"

"It does. I've been there a couple of times and it amazes me how many books there are in there. There are quite a few books about the myths surrounding Pokemon here in the region. A lot of it is pretty heavy and tough to understand but I know quite a few researchers spend their time there."

She laughed. "Sounds like my kind of place. I just love studying, especially about Pokemon."

"S-studying? Ugh, I hate it."

Roxanne looked at her with a curious look. "Why, what's wrong with it? Don't you enjoy learning about new things?"

"I do but I don't want to have to study! I can read about them, just don't ask me to study it. Studying just reminds me of school and I can't stand that either!"

She clasped her hands together. "It's not so bad if you find a certain way to study. That way you can actually enjoy it. I know some people-"

"Hey Jamie! Jamie!"

She stopped in her tracks at that familiar voice and turned to see Gavin running up after them. He came to a stop nearby, hunching over to catch his breath. He stood up straight, chest puffed out. "Oh hi Gavin."

"I was up training north of Jubelife but man all the trainers there are so weak. I didn't even bother going through the cave and decided to go west. I planned to maybe look around there but that only leads out to the bay and I don't have a Pokemon that can take me there just yet so I decided to come this way since it leads to Oreburgh and the first gym and all...and who is this? Your sister?"

Roxanne laughed. "Ah, my name is Roxanne, I'm just a regular trainer from Hoehn who decided to come out here and check things out. Jamie here offered to help show me around a little."

Gavin nodded. "Hoehn, huh? That sounds pretty cool. I've never been out there but I hear it's a bit warmer compared to here. Once I beat all the gym leaders and take on the Elite Four and the Champion, I'd probably go out there and do the same."

She laughed. "You sound so sure you have the title in the bag and yet you don't even have a single badge!"

"Of course but I know I can defeat them all. Once I make the strongest team and raise them up, I'll be able to take on all challengers!"

She brushed back her hair and touched her chin. "Oh really? I'd like to test that team of yours."

She was going to challenge him to a battle? Jamie looked at Gavin, wondering how he'd take this but he pumped his fist and grinned. "Oh you want to battle? Sounds good to me! My record is about 19 and 1. You'll have to do real good to become my second loss."

Then again, it was kind of stupid to expect him to back down. Roxanne plucked two Pokeballs from her belt. "So then who beat you for that one loss?"

Gavin held up three Pokeballs. He already had three in his team? He moved quicker than she thought. "That would be to Jamie. I hope to get some revenge for that loss but that can wait until later."

"I'd rather retire with that victory," she said and he looked at her with a horrified look on his face.

"No, no, you can't do that! You can retire after I best your team of Pokemon It'll happen someday."

Not if she could help it. Roxanne grumbled. "Are you going to worry about avenging your loss or will you let me add another loss for you?"

He took one Pokeball from the others. He smiled. "You're pretty cocky. Don't worry, that's what they all say before I beat them. Let's go Sly!"

Gavin tossed the ball forward, causing it to open with a flash, revealing a Psyduck. It let out its titular cry before clutching its head. Roxanne tossed her own ball forward, releasing a Pokemon she hadn't seen before. It looked like an olive green reptile that stood about a couple feet high. It had a large single spike sprouting from atop its head, black marks running down from its eyes that reminded her a bit-

"Whoa, what's that? I haven't seen a Pokemon like that before!"

She giggled. "It's a Larvitar, a Rock Pokemon native to Johto. It likes to live in the mountains and is known as the mountain eater. Mainly because it eats a lot of soil and has an appetite like you wouldn't believe! It needs it considering what it grows into."

Gavin smirked. "Well I hope all that eating gave it a good solid hide because Sly is going to take it out. Sly, use Water Gun!"

The Psyduck took a few steps forward, putting down his hands in an attempt to get ready. It didn't last as its hands went back to its head. wracked by one of the infamous migraines it would suffer. Gavin stomped his foot while Roxanne's Larvitar launched an attack, a head-butt to be exact. It landed it straight between Sly's eyes, causing the poor duck to stumble back from the blow. "Okay Drew, hit it with another head-butt!"

The little reptile nodded and ran as fast as it could. Actually its run looked more like a waddle but the effects of the head-butt would be the same. Sly had recovered from the first hit and took in a big gulp of air. An attack? That's the only thing she could think of and Roxanne raised an eyebrow. "Good you're okay. Follow up on the attack!"

Roxanne waved her hand to the side in a dismissive manner. "Hey Drew, watch out for its Water Gun! Hide in the ground!"

Drew stopped in its tracks and began to burrow into the ground, gulping up large amounts of dirt. Sly stepped forward and spit out a strong stream of water, into the hole where the Larvitar dug. Drew continued to dig, even with the water piling up around it, turning the dirt into mud. It stopped trying to dig after a bit and scurried away from the muddy hole, gasping for air. Sly took this chance to nail it with another stream of water, flooring the poor reptile. Roxanne sighed. "You did okay Drew, come back," she said, recalling it back to its ball. She pulled out another pokeball and laughed. "Not bad.

Gavin laughed. "Hey, I had the type advantage. It was easy! Any water move was bound to do big damage!"

Roxanne summoned her next Pokemon. "Let's see if your duck can handle Knox! Let's go!"

This time, a Kabuto leapt from the next pokeball. Jamie looked at Diddy, whose attention was on the battle and nowhere else. "A Kabuto, huh? So I guess they've been able to revive more of those old fossils?"

Roxanne nodded toward her. "Yep, thanks to the help of some trainers from Hoehn, they've had a little more luck recovering fossils from deep in the ocean. I also heard that they've dug up quite a few in Oreburgh. It's another thing I was hoping to talk about with Roark, seeing as how he's-"

"Hey, are we going to battle or are you going to spit out lessons all day? All this time, I could have finished this battle and been on my way to Oreburgh! The gym leader awaits!"

Roxanne laughed. "I invite you to have the first move."

Gavin smirked and looked at Sly. He shook his head and summoned it back. "Sorry Sly, you did great but I need to bring out someone else. Let's go Rigel!"

The last time she had seen Rigel, Diddy had beat the turtle with ease. Not surprising since grass was bad against fire but she was a bit shocked to see that Rigel wasn't a Turtwig anymore but a Grotle! How in the world did he have one already? They had only had their Pokemon for a day! Not even that! "A Grotle Gavin? How did you-"

Gavin pumped out his chest. "Hey, you got to train the be the best, right? Well that's what I've been doing, finding stronger trainers to keep them all sharp and focused. It's just I've had Rigel the longest so he'll always be the stronger one!" He said, smile beaming. He turned to Rigel. "Okay man, let's take this Kabuto down! Razor Leaf!"

"Knox, buckle down!"

Rigel stomped its feet, stirring up nearby leaves and grasses. They swirled around its large body like how one might see in a dust devil, before launching them at Knox. The Kabuto burrowed into the ground, its hard, earthy colored shell being the only thing exposed. The leaves and grasses, which would do quite a number on any water Pokemon, bounced off its shell, protecting it from the blow. It popped up from the ground and shook off some dirt. "Not bad-"

"Knox, let's freeze it up!"

Gavin and Jamie's mouths fell open as the small Pokemon emit a powerful beam from wherever its mouth was. The light blue beam, sparkled with ice crystals painting the air, hit Rigel's legs, encasing them in a solid block of ice. The larger Rivel struggled to move its feet but with the way they were and it being weak to ice, things didn't seem to hot. Knox prepared for another blast while Rigel tried to knock the ice off but to little avail. "Rigel, better brace for that next one!"

Knox let fire with another Ice Beam but with just a little more time, Rigel broke free from the ice and crawled out of the way, avoiding the attack altogether. It looked a bit worse for wear, slower than usual, its footsteps a bit heavy. Knox circled around the larger Pokemon, perhaps to size it up or maybe just to prepare for another attack. Jamie looked at Gavin, who surveyed the battle and shook his head. "This won't do. Come back Rigel!"

He summoned it back to its ball and stroked his chin. Roxanne laughed. "What's wrong? Aren't you supposed to be the next Champion? A Champion has to be prepared for surprises like this. You can't just expect all your fights to be easy and simple now, can you?"

He matched her laugh with a hearty one of his own. "You really are something but then again, you do seem to know your stuff. I guess Charles is next. Let's go Chuck!"

This time he brought forth a wild Ponyta. A fire Pokemon against water? Gavin patted it, as best one could pat a flaming horse. Roxanne laughed. "Okay Knox, use Water Gun and take it out!"

Gavin only winked at Charles and the horse kicked up a little dirt, not even bothering to move as Knox turned toward its target, ready to attack. It let loose with a strong stream of water, a bit strong for a Pokemon of its size but Charles chose to just run out of the way. The Kabuto turned and fired off another blast but again, the horse scurried out of the way. This continued for sometime, with Knox trying to come up with new ways to cut the horse off and nail it, while Charles eluded it again and again. It probably didn't help that the poor Kabuto was a bit slow compared to Charles because she knew if it could nail the horse a few times, it'd do the trick.

After what seemed like forever, Knox tired out and sat on the ground. Charles charged at it in an attempt to stomp it into the ground. Just as it neared the worn out Pokemon, Knox reared back and let out with a powerful stream of water. Jamie's mouth fell open as Charles stumbled back from the blow. Gavin summoned it back and shook his head. "Sorry about that Charles. I should have been prepared for a last ditch attack like that."

Roxanne smiled. "It is something you really have to watch for. Or perhaps, he wasn't really that tired and I just had him bluff it?"

Gavin laughed as he took out his last Pokeball. "Well you would have said something and he looked actually tired. You could be saying that to throw me off or to just ignore the fact that you may have lucked out with a critical attack when you really needed it. Oh well, let's go Leo!"

His last Pokemon turned out to be a Luxio. Jamie again shot a look at Gavin. "Just how much training have you been doing?"

"Quite a bit it seems, if he just got his Pokemon a day ago," Roxanne said.

Gavin laughed. "Hey I love it and they love it! Best of both worlds I say! I have to train hard if I want to become the Champion, right? That means-"

"I sure hope you let them have some rest! You could tire them out!" Jamie said, shaking her head. Gavin shook his head and she frowned at him. "W-why are you shaking your head?"

"Jamie, I think I know my Pokemon a little better than you would."

She blushed at that and looked away. He was probably right about that but sometimes she just couldn't help herself. She hadn't gotten the best look at his Pokemon, having been a bit captivated by the battle on hand so maybe his Pokemon weren't so tuckered out? She felt an arm drape over her shoulders and turned to see Roxanne standing next to her. "Don't worry about her. She's just a future Pokemon Ranger. It's their job to be concerned about things like that and it is a bit surprising for her to see you're Pokemon at such a high level already."

"A Pokemon Ranger, really? That's what you want to do?"

"Yea, I plan to go to Solaceon and ask about it there."

"That sounds kinda cool! I still think you should give battling a try but whatever works! Hey, are we going to finish this battle or what?"

Roxanne moved back over to her Pokemon and laughed. "I suppose we can. Knox, come back!" She said as she summoned it back to its ball. She took out her last one and held it close to her cheek. "This is my strongest Pokemon. You'll have a tough time beating him. Let's go Bruce!"

This time, she summoned forth a mighty Nosepass. Gavin eyed it and nodded. "Another Rock Pokemon, huh? I have something for that!"

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out another Pokeball. Roxanne didn't react much to this but brushed back her hair. "Another Pokemon? How many do you have? You know you can only use 6 in a battle, right?"

He laughed. "Yes but this is only my fourth one and the last! Hope you're ready for it! Let's go Heracross!"

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "Heracross? Aren't those pretty tough to find? How did you manage to get one so soon?"

He winked at her. "That's my little secret. Don't worry, I'll let you know once I'm done here."

Roxanne waved her hand in a dismissive manner again. "Bruce, hit it with Rock Slide!"

Gavin laughed. "Not so fast there! Heracross, take it out!"

Nosepass gained a light blue aura as it summoned several nearby rocks to its body. It flung them at the incoming Heracross, who ducked and dodged many of the deadly projectiles. A few managed to hit it but as they were smaller rocks, it shrugged off, perhaps in part to its fighting nature. It leapt into the air in front of Nosepass and came down with a flying karate chop to the top of its head. Jamie winced from the blow and so did Nosepass by the looks of it. In fact it did more than that, it stumbled forward a few steps, a few to the side before falling forward on its face. "Ahhh, is he okay? That was a pretty nasty hit!"

Diddy began to squeal and Jamie turned to see it trying to imitate the same move the bug had pulled. It couldn't jump near as high yet and he landed on his belly after a few tries. Jamie shook her head and looked back at Roxanne and Gavin. Gavin puffed out his chest. "So, what will it be? You still have one other Pokemon to use but will it be able to knock out Heracross?"

Roxanne looked at her last ball and let out a sigh. "Fine, you win."

He let out a yelp of praise and ran around in a wide circle, arms raised to the sky. "Hahaha, yes I won! Another win for me! I'm on a hot streak! No one is going to stop us, no one!"

Roxanne only put her face in her palm and shook her head. She grumbled something but it was too low for her to hear. Gavin stopped his celebrating and hurried back over to her. Roxanne still sported a pout look on her face, arms folded across her chest as he extended his hand. Jamie cleared her throat and he looked over at her. "That was a pretty good match. You seemed to have improved from the last match I had seen."

"You mean the one where your Chimchar knocked poor Rigel clear across the area? Of course!"

She frowned. "Hey, Diddy didn't hit him that hard! It was just a simple punch, right Diddy?"

Diddy looked at her with a curious look before laughing. How rude! She shot a glare at him but Gavin joined in. She shot a glare in his direction for extra measure. "I'm just playing around Jamie! You're so funny when you get angry and flustered!"

"I'm not angry or flustered!"

"Hah," is all he said. He flashed a broad smile before turning back to Roxanne, who had dropped her shoulders and had her hands at her side. She shook her head.

"You two are hopeless."

Gavin held out his hand again. "Are you going to keep leaving me hanging? You can't leave me hanging here!"

Roxanne sighed and shook his hand. "Of course not. I just-"

He took back his hand and nodded. "Good, that's good. Well I better be going. Don't have time to waste here! Oreburgh awaits!"

"I just hope you give your Pokemon a little rest before you march on to Eternia and take on the Gym Leader there. That's a nice little trip."

"Ha, they'll get plenty of rest. I don't plan to work them like slaves! I picked these Pokemon out because I like them!"

Roxanne frowned. "I took you as someone who just picks their Pokemon based on how strong everyone says they are. You just-"

"What? You're crazy! I'd never do that! No way! Sure I know about all the strongest Pokemon, I know which ones have the best attack and special attack. The ones who excel in defense, special defense or even speed. I know which ones have the best overall stats, which ones can defeat the most types...all of that."

Her eyes grew wide. "How can you know all of that if you're a new trainer? Most new trainers are still just trying to figure out-"

"I'm not your everyday new trainer you know. I'm the future Pokemon Champion! You don't find those kind of trainers everyday. They only come around once in a while."

"The future...Pokemon Champion? Ugh, well at least you're focused."

Gavin nodded. He recalled Heracross back to its ball and looked past her and toward the direction of Oreburgh Gate. "Well, I have to be going. The first gym awaits! Thanks for the fun battle again Roxanne. Take care Jamie."

She waved as he sped off like a rocket, leaving the trademark dust cloud in his wake. Roxanne fanned the dust away from her and looked at Jamie. "Is he always like that?"

"Yep."

"He's quite the character. I don't know what to think of him. He's so energetic and confident, it's tough to imagine anything bringing him down."

Jamie laughed. "I think the only thing that can calm him down is sleep. Or perhaps food. Otherwise he's always full of energy, bouncing off the walls and knocking down poor bystanders. It takes a little getting used to."

Roxanne folded her arms. "How long have you known him? You seem to know him pretty well."

Jamie brushed back her hair as Diddy scurried back up her shoulders. "I've known him since we were kids. He moved there when I was in grade school and he used to be much louder back then."

"I can't imagine that. He's already plenty loud. How did you guys get to know each other then?"

She pulled Diddy off her shoulders but he was back up on her shoulders in a flash. "Well I was known around the town as the local Pokemon nerd. I couldn't help it, I loved Pokemon and would talk anyone's ear off about them. Whenever Professor Rowan's program came on, I was right there, ready to listen. Any books I could find at the library on the subject...I devoured it. Gavin was the same way, though he was more interested in the battling aspect. I didn't like it that much but it was fun to just have someone who loved Pokemon as much as I did."

Roxanne laughed. "A Pokemon nerd, huh? I was like that as a kid so I know how it feels. A lot of kids like Pokemon but then there are the dedicated ones. It's not just enough for them to talk about ones you like the most but-"

"I agree. I mean I have my favorites but there's so much to talk about. There's all the various types of Pokemon, their nature as a whole, where they like to live, what they eat and their relationship with humans. It's just so much to take in."

Roxanne nodded. "You're right. Well, should we get going too? We can't be left in the dust by him."

"L-left in the dust? That's just what he does to everyone-"

"I know, I know but after losing to him, I think I may have another reason for raising my Pokemon. I'd like to see just how far he goes-"

"I think you want to get your revenge for that loss. You weren't happy about losing to him."

Roxanne smirked, looking a bit coy. "Now what gives you that idea? I lose to new trainers all the time-"

"Y-y-yea but I'm sure you're not a Leader just to lose to people. What kind of position is that? And since you're not traveling as a Gym Leader but as a regular-"

Roxanne's laughing cut her off. She covered her mouth after a bit and smiled behind it. "You're right. I do want to take on his team again. I think I could beat his team the next time. I'll admit that he outsmarted me this time but it won't happen again. I didn't become a Leader for nothing, you know?"

Jamie and Diddy exchanged a look and she shrugged. "I suppose you're right."

"And it'll be tough to do that if we waste time. You saw how fast he took off. By the time we even reach Oreburgh Gate, he would have won the badge and moved on to the next gym leader."

She didn't get to say much else before she was dragged along.

Oreburgh Gate coincidentally didn't resemble a gate at all but a system of caves that connected Jubelife to Oreburgh and beyond that, Mount Coronet, the enormous mountain that broke up much of the region. Roxanne leaned against the wall of the main path and smiled. "So just why is this called a Gate?"

"I really don't know but knowing the area a little, my guess is that you could say that the mountains serve as a fence around Oreburgh and this cave, being one of the main ways in, serves as the gate to Oreburgh. That's just a guess so don't-"

"That doesn't sound too bad. Does the city sit in a valley?"

Jamie rubbed the back of her head. "I think it sits in an old volcano crater but don't quote me on that."

Roxanne nodded. "Interesting. We have a few volcanoes in Hoenn, the biggest one being Mount Chimney. It sits near Lavaridge."

"I've heard of it. Wasn't that the area where that one Team was causing trouble or something?"

Roxanne's eyes lit up before she rolled them. "Ugh, Team Magma. They got it in their mind that because humans were using up too much of the land to build their towns and live, that there wasn't enough space for the Pokemon to live as well. They got it in their minds to cause the dormant Mount Chimney to blow by awakening the legendary Groudon. They were opposed by an equally wacky group named Team Aqua, who thought there wasn't enough oceans for the wild Pokemon to swim in and figured awakening Kyogre was a splendid idea. Thankfully, their plans were stopped before too much mayhem occurred."

Jamie and Diddy exchanged a look and she held her hand over her mouth. "Y-y-you've got to be kidding me! That sounds so dumb! Why would they-" Before she could finish her thought, a guy dressed in the same kind of gear she saw back at the lake, rushed down a path that led deeper into the cave. Roxanne looked at her for a few before waving her hand in Jamie's face.

"Uh, hello? You kind of-"

"Roxanne, it's them, it's them!"

She shook her head. "Who? I don't know who you're talking about!"

Jamie took a few deep breaths and nodded. "It's Team Rocket. I just saw one of their guys run past, deeper into the cave. We have to go after him!"

"Team Rocket? I thought they were disbanded! Haven't they had enough failures already? Are you really sure it's Team Rocket?"

"I'm positive! I just saw someone dressed in their gear."

Roxanne nodded. "Okay okay but shouldn't we just let the authorities take care of that? I mean, they have been known for some big failures but they still managed to cause quite a bit of trouble, they are a big crime organization. Not the kind of thing two trainers should be looking into."

She sighed. "And if we do that, they might have gotten away! I mean if things get bad, we can just leave. We should check things out at least, especially since they're known for mistreating Pokemon."

Roxanne folded her arms. "You're starting to sound like a Ranger already. Well...I guess we can take a quick look. A quick one though, we aren't going to try and catch them all or anything like that."


	4. Chapter 4

Jamie and Roxanne scurried behind some rocks as the Team Rocket member poked around in the bottom level of the cave. Jamie leaned a bit forward as the guy held out a Pokeball. "Now, I wonder, is this the right cave?"

Another Rocket member appeared, this guy a bit older, with short black hair and without the silly little mask the others had worn. He glanced at the other one and frowned. "Mick, what are you doing here? Me and the others are taking care of Oreburgh Gate."

"O-Oreburgh Gate? That's where I'm at? I was looking for Wayward Cave!"

The other guy threw back his head and laughed, causing Mick to turn a little red in the face. "W-Wayback Cave? Haha, that's near Eternia City. You've got some ways to go!"

Mick leaned over and sighed. "That's what I feared. Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have listened to that kid's directions. I knew I should have taken that right turn at-"

"Never mind that, never mind that. I need to borrow a few Pokeballs. We need to capture a couple more Gyrados."

Mick's eyes grew wide. "So this is where you guys have been capturing them!"

"Well capturing, kind of. We've been experimenting on the group of Gyrados here, with the same kind of radio signal technology used near the Lake of Rage. Remember there, the signal caused a lot of the pathetic Magikarp to evolve very rapidly into Gyrados. We tweaked it a little to see what other effects it'd have."

"Wow, so what did you discover?"

The man cleared his throat and held out his hand. "The balls first."

"Oh, right!" Mick said before digging into his pocket and producing a few Ultra Balls. He handed them over and put his hands in his pockets. The other Rocket looked them over and nodded. He turned his back and began to walk away. "H-h-hey!"

"Well some just turned red like on of the Gyrados did back at the lake. The red ones seemed to be a bit more powerful than regular Gyrados and we figured that we could just turn around and sell them to some eager trainers for easy cash. That's why I needed your extra Pokeballs, they've proven to be a bit tough to catch now. The other ones seem to emit some sort of aura about them."

"An aura?"

The man nodded. "Yea, it's pretty weird. We have noticed an increase in other Pokemon showing up, rare ones at that. A couple days ago, we had a Beldum wander in and before that we had a Dratini show up and then just yesterday, a Gible."

Jamie looked at Roxanne. "Have you heard anything like this?" She whispered. Roxanne shook her head and Jamie turned her attention back to the two Rockets.

"Wow, that sounds a bit crazy. The only problem is that not all of the trainers will want these Pokemon. They take awhile to become strong and-"

"That's why we sell them to the trainers who have the patience for raising them. There are plenty of trainers who are willing to raise them, all we have to do is find them and sell these Pokemon off to them. Simple as that."

Mick shrugged. "I guess. And couldn't you use that signal to forcibly induce evolution in them? Would that have any harmful side effects?"

The man let out a huge sigh. She could almost see the eye roll. "We aren't in the business of caring about any side effects. Buyer beware they say."

Mick let out a grating laugh that lasted for a few minutes before the other Rocket shot him a dirty look. "Yep, yep. Buyer's beware, I love it! That will show them!"

Jamie slammed her fist on the rock and shook her head. The two disappeared deeper into the cave and she looked at Roxanne. "Is there anything we could do?"

"We can't do much! My Pokemon aren't in the greatest of shape and you have barely trained yours. That wouldn't work out at all against those two Rockets. And there are probably a few more of them down here. They'd overwhelm our Pokemon and then what?"

Jamie sighed. "I know, I know but we just can't let them...get away with this. What if we get the authorities and they don't get here in time? Or worse, they don't believe us. I mean this is Team Rocket, they had supposedly disbanded years ago. Why should they even believe us?"

Roxanne put her hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Look, I understand your concern but we have no way of taking all those Rockets on. It's just crazy. I know it'd be bad to just leave them here but this is the sort of job the police can handle. If we had stronger Pokemon, I'm sure it wouldn't be such a problem but-"

Diddy let out a high pitched squeal and Jamie moved quickly to hush him. "Shh, not so loud! We don't want to be caught."

"I think he's trying to get our attention," Roxanne said. She turned around and Jamie did likewise. "Except, I'm not sure what we're looking for. Maybe he thought he saw another Rocket guy coming down the stairs?"

Jamie pulled Diddy off her shoulders and he kept jumping up in the air, pointing at the wall behind them. She looked at the stairs, then the wall and then at him. "What is it Diddy? I don't see anything there. Just what was there?"

He began to gesture with his hands, in what seemed like an attempt to form a large sphere. The only thing she could think of would be an Electrode but why would it be hiding from them. "So do you mean an Electrode?"

He shook his head and then began to make a scary looking face, baring its teeth and holding its hands up as of trying to appear even bigger. Roxanne frowned. "You know, now that I think about it, it seems as if he's trying to make a face like Haunter."

Jamie gave her a double take. "A-a-a Haunter?"

She nodded and pursed her lips. "Well it might explain why we aren't seeing anything. Perhaps it disappeared again. They are prone to playing tricks on people. Scaring people and then vanishing is just one of the many tricks they employ."

Jamie got up. "I'd rather not stick around while it's here-"

Before she could finish, she felt someone tap her shoulder. Diddy let out another scream and she reached down to cover his mouth. She saw a transparent, lavender hand appear nearby and she spun around in time to see a rather large Haunter floating behind them. It grinned while waving its hand at them. "I-I-It's huge."

Roxanne grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away. "Well, you know, I say we just let him have his fun and be on our way."

She nodded as fast as she could. "That sounds like a really good ide-"

"Hey, what are you two doing here?"

Jamie turned to see the Rocket named Mick staring at them. He shot a glare at her and Roxanne. Jamie set Diddy down and laughed. "Oh, we had just come down here, seeing if there were any additional Pokemon. We're both trainers-"

"Trainers? There aren't any different Pokemon down here, unless you have a good fishing rod. Even then, all you'd catch would be Magikarp."

"Oh, is that true? If that's so, I guess we can just go back upstairs and leave you alone."

He stomped his foot. "I never said you two could leave! I still don't believe your claims that you're just trainers-"

"So then why are you so defensive? What do you have to hide, that's so important that you refuse to let a couple of wayward trainers go? I mean it can't be that important!"

He folded his arms. "It's none of your business but I-hey, it's that stupid Haunter again!"

Jamie shook her head. "Haunter, what Haunter?"

He grumbled. "That stupid Haunter we've been after! Have you two been hiding it?"

Jamie and Roxanne exchanged looks. Perhaps it was also part of their twisted experiments? She looked at him and shook her head. "No! He just appeared all of a sudden. We didn't know what to do with him."

He held out a Pokeball. "Well get out of the way, he's mine and I've been trying to get him back!"

Jamie stood in front of where she assumed the ghost Pokemon was and shook her head. He put down his hand and raised an eyebrow. "No."

"No? No? Aren't you two trainers? Since when is it okay for other trainers to steal Pokemon that belong to other trainers? Last time I check-"

"You just want to take him back so you can perform more of your twisted experiments on him!"

Mick's eyes grew wide for a second before he shot a glare at her. "So I was right, you guys have been spying on us! And you were trying to be slick just now! Ha, I knew it! Amateurs. Once again, you better get out of the way and let me capture him or else."

Roxanne tugged on her sleeve but she just ignored it. "Amateurs? Funny you're talking, isn't it pretty amateurish to let your Pokemon out and let it run off?"

"Amateur? Amateur? I'll show you just what this amateur can do! Once I'm through with your Pokemon, it's over for both of you!"

He tossed a Pokeball forward, summoning a Zubat. Jamie turned to Diddy but the Haunter moved forward as well. "H-h-huh? You want to help too?"

"A double battle? Fine then!"

He tossed another ball forward, summoning a Rattata. The Haunter smiled at Jamie and she gave a nervous wave. "Okay Haunter, just do your thing, Diddy use Sand-Attack!"

Diddy dug his hand into the dirt but before he could fire off an attack, the small purple rat launched a preemptive attack at it. It slammed into Diddy's chest with its head, flooring the chimp. She held in her breath for a minute but he got up a few seconds later, a bit stunned but still good to go. He dug his hand in again before scooping up a good chunk of dirt and tossing it in the rat's eyes. Mick's Zubat dove at Haunter, in an attempt to bite it but before it could, Diddy tossed a bunch of dirt in its path. That caused the bat to fly up and out of the way. The Haunter followed after it and she returned her attention to the fight on the ground.

Diddy charged at the disorientated rat, fist at the ready. Before he could land it, Mick kicked up a bunch of dirt in Diddy's face, causing him to miss the punch and crash to the ground. Jamie glared at him but Mick just shrugged. "What? All's fair in a fight, am I right?"

Jamie ignored him and returned her focus back to Diddy, a little stunned by the move. Mick's Rattata jumped at it and somehow latched on with it sharp teeth. Diddy let out a cry of pain, while trying to shake the rat off its arm. The rat on the other hand, didn't appear to be interested in letting go. In fact, it seemed to bite down even harder, drawing blood. After a bit of a struggle, Diddy flung the small rat off before stumbling back. He looked at her and she shook her had. "Get back here, you're hurt."

He protested, waving its good arm in the arm and stomping on the ground but she shot a glare at him and he came over, to the laughter of Mick. "Hah, your Pokemon are too weak! Maybe you should pick your fights more careful-"

Before he could finish, his small Zubat floated down into his arms. He looked down at it, as it let out the most pathetic squeal it could muster. He looked up into the air. "Where is that stupid Haunter? Where is it?"

It suddenly appeared behind him, hands stretched over his head. Jamie had just reached for the Pokeball holding Piplup when she noticed it as well. "Ahh...ahhh-"

Mick recalled the bat back to its ball and shivered. "And it's gotten a bit cold in here-" He stopped short and turned around in a slow manner, as if realizing the horror of the situation. He came face to face with the Haunter and turned white on sight. He tried to get away but tripped over his Rattata and fell to the ground. Jamie jumped back as the Haunter floated down toward him, a mischievous grin on its face. "Ahhh, save me, same me!"

"W-w-why should I save you? You guys are the ones who experiment on poor Pokemon! Besides, how do I stop him? He doesn't even belong to me."

"I don't care, just get him away from me!"

Jamie let out a sigh and looked up at the Haunter. "Hold on, just a minute!"

It looked at her, a puzzled look forming on its face. She held up a hand and shook her head. "You don't really have to do that, you just want to have fun, right? I heard that you guys like to do practical jokes, right?"

It nodded and smiled. She nodded and toyed with her fingers. "Ummm so if you come along with me, there will be opportunities for your harmless pranks-"

"Harmless?" Roxanne asked. Jamie ignored her and kept her attention on the Haunter, who seemed to be thinking it over.

"I mean I want to be a Pokemon Ranger and that means that I would have to travel quite a bit. There would be plenty of opportunities to...do your little tricks and pranks."

Roxanne began to speak up again but Jamie covered her mouth. It was about the only thing she could think that might appease it. Well, there was always the option of battling it and then capturing it but that might take too long and neither Pokemon was up for that. She looked at Roxanne, who just shook her head.

"Hey, what's going on over here? Mick, it sounded like a battle was going on here!"

Another Rocket member appeared around the corner, this one dressed in a clean white suit with the Team Rocket emblem sewn onto the front pocket. He had short light blue hair and a wore small white cap on his head. He didn't look that much older than them but bore a few wrinkles on his face. He looked at them and then the Haunter. "I-I-I'm sorry but-"

"That's where that stupid Haunter disappeared to!"

"And just what are you going to do with him? Perform more stupid experiments on him?" Jamie yelled. The man's eyes grew a bit wide at her outburst before he smiled again.

"Ahhh who are you? A pair of nosy trainers?"

Mick got to his feet, looking a bit more bold than before. He pointed his finger at them. "They came down here and tried to steal that Haunter!"

The man laughed. "And I take it that they did a number on your Pokemon?"

Mick turned a bit red at that remark, causing the man to laugh again. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a Pokeball. "I just-"

"Whatever. I'll just recapture him and then deal with them."

Before he could capture the Haunter, Jamie tossed her own Pokeball forward, capturing it in it and knocking away his tossed ball while she was at it. He jumped back, a bit surprised by the move. Jamie took her own ball back and he laughed. "H-h-huh? What's so funny?"

The man stopped laughing for a bit and smiled. "I'm a bit impressed at your resourcefulness. Most trainers would have just stared in shock and stood flat footed. Too bad it won't save you from my next trick-"

"D-Diddy! Sand Attack!"

Diddy dove at the ground and kicked and lashed at the ground, stirring up a large cloud of dust. Mick and the other Rocket coughed from the large amount of dust while Jamie and Roxanne made a quick exit. As she got to the top of the stairs, she turned and called out for Diddy. He charged up the stairs after them, while the Rockets tried to fight through the dust.

A few minutes later, they sat outside the entrance of the cave, this time on the Oreburgh side. Jamie leaned against the side of the mountain and gasped for air. Diddy jumped up and down, showing no side effects of the mad dash they had just gone through. She stood up and glanced at Roxanne, who dusted herself off instead. "H-h-how come you aren't out of breath?"

"I like to keep myself in shape. Sometimes I go up to the mountains and let my Pokemon roll along the ground while I jog along. They really enjoy being out of their ball and just being out in their own environment. The Geodude line especially enjoys it. You kind of have to watch out for them if you're hiking."

"I'll have to remember that."

Roxanne nodded and looked down at the town. "So is this Oreburgh?"

Jamie nodded. "Yep, this is it. It's the local mining town of Sinnoh. Most of what they ore is sent out to cities throughout Sinnoh. This is also where they unearth old fossils and revive them at the local museum."

Roxanne laughed. "New fossils huh? Steven would be pretty interested in that. I will have to tell him about them when I get back. Do you know anything about the species that were revived from them?"

Jamie shook her head. "I-I wish I knew something about them but I don't. I think there was an episode about them but-"

"Well I'm sure the local gym leader would know more, especially since he's a rock head, like me. For example, in Hoehn, there are two fossils that had been uncovered there. They happen to be Lileep and Anorith."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "What did they look like? They have odd names. If they're fossils, do they look really different from Pokemon today?"

Roxanne pursed her lips. "Hmmm, they look different. I mean Pokemon today have so many varied looks and sized that when you put them in a group of Pokemon today, I doubt you could pick them out from anything else."

Jamie nodded. "Oh, I see. I guess you're right."

"If we can get to a Pokemon Center, I can get them so I can show you. First, I need to get in contact with the Gym Leader here and see if we can get a match in."

At least she knew about that. "You mean Roark. I have heard that he sometime assists in the mining operations here," Jamie said. She pointed off toward a large cave opening where an old factory sat nearby. "That's where they do most of the mining at."

Roxanne sighed. "Are visitors allowed in there? I mean this is a mining operation and it can be pretty dangerous. Not just with all the machinery and such but wild Pokemon."

Jamie and Diddy exchanged a look. "Wild Pokemon? Wouldn't they be annoyed by all the heavy machinery and run away?"

She laughed. "You'd think but no, some of them don't seem to mind it. Others do mind and will smash up the machinery if it's disturbing them so the miners often to have Pokemon on them to subdue the wild ones and move them somewhere safe."

She mumbled something else under her breath but it was too low a tone for Jamie to hear. "So what kind of Pokemon tend to smash up the equipment?"

Roxanne folded her arms. "Oh, let's see. Both Onix and Steelix tend to live underground or in caves. They are also a bit cranky and if they're disturbed, they will smash up and destroy whatever is making the noise. And since they're what they are, they can cause quite a bit of damage."

Jamie looked at the pokeball holding Piplup, who needed a good nickname. "Sounds like a water or grass Pokemon would come in handy."

"Or Fighting, Steel or even Psychic."

"You sure know a lot about their weaknesses.:

Roxanne laughed. "Of course! The first thing about being a gym leader specializing in Rock Pokemon is to know which types are real strong against them and how to combat them. Rock has a bunch of common weaknesses but if you're smart, you can get around them," she said. She looked toward the blue sky and nodded. She returned her fierce glance to Jamie and smiled. "It's like, you know how water is weak to grass?"

Jamie put away the Pokeball and nodded. "Yes, that's right."

Roxanne held up a finger. "Then that's why you teach your water Pokemon with an Ice move. Almost all water types can learn a decent Ice move. And many of them are much quicker than Grass types."

"But can Rock learn anything that would stop a Water Pokemon?"

"Depends on the Pokemon but some have a way of dealing with water or other types that would do damage. For example, Lunatone is a Rock Psychic Pokemon can learn Charge Beam which is an electric attack. Nosepass learns Discharge naturally."

"Wow," Jamie said. She sat in a daze for a moment before snapping to attention when she remembered the main reason they had ran out the cave. "I hate to change the subject but what about Team Rocket?"

"Huh? I didn't forget about them. I just figured that is what you were going to do that while I go heal my Pokemon and then see if the gym leader is at his gym."

"You know where his gym is at?"

Roxanne shrugged. "Every gym has the same general logo on them. All the Pokemon Centers look just the same too. I'll just wait for you outside the mine. I'm sure it'll take you a little time to speak with the police and all."

Jamie nodded as Roxanne walked off. She watched her leave and turned to Diddy. "Quite a character, huh?"

Diddy pointed a finger at his head and twirled it around in a circle, causing Jamie to shoot him a glare. He noticed it and laughed.

"Stop being so mean. She's not crazy at all. She just really knows her stuff."

Diddy shook his head and began to play with some rocks. She pulled out a Pokeball and held it out toward him. He looked at it and began to cry out in protest.

"No no. Don't give me that! It's only fair that Piplup get to have some time out of the ball. I can't have both of you out because you'll end up fighting and I won't have that. Come on now."

It folded its arms and stuck out its bottom lip like a defiant child. She recalled it back to the ball. She clasped it in her hands for a moment before putting it away and summoning Piplup. It let out a joyous cry and flapped its wings a few times. "Come on. We need to get down to the police station."

The police station happened to be an old gray brick building in the northern part of town. Ivy covered the sides of the building like a thick carpet and she thought she could see a few sleeping Bellsprout amongst the leaves. As they crossed the small parking lot, occupied by several police cruisers, the front door opened and Looker stepped out. He carried a folder stuffed with papers, many of which seemed to slip out as he walked down the stairs, causing him to stop every so often to pick them up. She hurried over and he noticed her. "Ahh, if it isn't, how they say, Jamie! Yes, Jamie, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Do you need some help with those papers?"

He bent down to pick up the last few and laughed. "No no, I am good as they say. I was just getting all the information I could from the local police department about Rocket. I mean Team Rocket, yes!"

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, so how did that go?"

He grumbled. "Not good. Not very good. There have been very few reports of Rocket sightings. They are there but they are so...scattered. A bit hard to track them, yes?"

She nodded, still not used to his way of speaking. "Uh, yes."

He nodded and nodded. "Yes, yes you see my point! Alas, it's just an obstacle. I will not rest until I find them!"

She cleared her throat. "Then you might be interested to know that me and my friend ran across some Team Rocket members in Oreburgh Gate."

Looker nodded before his eyes grew wide and he jumped at her. She jumped back in surprise and Piplup made a fuss. "Oh I'm sorry but but you said you saw Team Rocket?"

"Y-y-yes. They were in Oreburgh Gate, on the bottom level-"

Before she could finish, he was gone. She watched him speed off, leaving a trail of papers in his wake before she turned to Piplup and sighed.

A little while later, she made her way over to where the mines where located. A ten foot high fence surrounded the area outside the cave, behind it she could see large conveyor belts that towered over the ground, some leading into the large cave and a couple other belts bringing minerals and rock into the factory where they sorted and shipped out. What she didn't notice were any large smokestacks by the factory. Without them, the air smelled a lot cleaner than what she was used to around factories like this. Roxanne stood just outside the fence, leaned up against it while watching a large Nosepass waddle around. "Oh there you are Jamie. I was wondering where you were. I thought I'd have to go look for you."

"Ah, it's okay. It just took some time to tell the police everything I knew. They're already looking into it. Hopefully they can catch them!"

Roxanne laughed. "I'm sure they'll be able to. Or at least chase them out of there."

Jamie glanced at the Nosepass which continued to waddle around. "This is your Nosepass, right?"

Roxanne petted its head. "Yep, this is mine. It was my very first Pokemon. My father helped me catch him."

Jamie's eyes grew wide. "Then how long have you two been partners?"

Roxanne looked off into the sky. "Hmmm, maybe six or seven years now. I think having him as my first Pokemon is why I became interested in rock Pokemon in the first place. I mean before that I was interested in Grass Pokemon."

"Grass? Really? Are there any Grass Gym leaders in Hoehn?"

Roxanne leaned back against the fence. "None at all. That's what made it so convenient. Grass Pokemon are usually seen as one of the weaker types so it can be pretty intimidating to use them. There were plenty where I lived and I knew I could show everyone that you just can't overlook them!"

Considering her personality, Jamie could see Roxanne using just any overlooked type and finding a way to make it work. "But then you got Nosepass-"

Roxanne held up a finger. "No, actually it was before that. My dad is a bit of a Pokemon expert, especially in Rock and Steel Pokemon. I guess he was a bit dismayed his little girl didn't share much of an interest in the Pokemon he studied but he often preached about the benefits of them and why you couldn't overlook them."

Jamie laughed. "Yea, they don't handle water very well and they are so many Water Pokemon!"

"Beyond that, I thought they were just too boring. They're just rocks I used to tell him! He would just laugh and go on about why they weren't just a pile of rocks. I still didn't care much for them until I saw a picture of Nosepass."

She smiled at her Nosepass, while Jamie and Piplup exchanged a look. "Nosepass though?"

Roxanne cleared her throat and Jamie looked at her again. "Yes, Nosepass. I hadn't seen a Pokemon like him before but I knew if there was ever a Pokemon people would overlook, it'd be him. Right?"

Jamie looked away. "Well..."

"I mean, everyone looks at him and sees a Rock Pokemon that looks like an large head with a bright red nose. They'd mistake him for some carved idol or something and would walk right on by, right?"

"Well he does kind of look like..."

Roxanne nodded. "Right, you'd just treat him like part of the scenery. Something perhaps to throw trash on or spray graffiti on. Once you learn he's actually a Pokemon, what would your first response be?"

Jamie turned a bit red. "Well, I'd think...he looks pretty unique and all but..." she said as she noticed Roxanne put her hands on her hips and give her a look. "Okay, okay. I don't hate it. It's just a Pokemon I wouldn't have in my team."

Roxanne seemed to relax at that. "Well, that's fine. Most people just act in disgust and say how dumb and weird it looks. I think that's pretty harsh. I mean we're not supposed to say that about a person but we can do that to a Pokemon?"

"I see your point-"

"Just one thing bugs me though. I noticed that he seems to spend a lot of timing staring at the mountain to the west of us-"

"You must mean Mount Coronet. As for why he keeps looking there...I think it's because there's some sort of energy or something up there that has an effect on Nosepass."

"Huh, really? What kind of effect?"

Jamie folded her arms. "Causes them to evolve-"

"E-evolve? Are you serious?" She asked, a gleam appearing in her eye.

Jamie nodded her head as quick as she could. "Y-y-yea. It was discovered recently. They can evolve into Probopass and not just them. Magneton also evolve in Magnezone in Mount Coronet as well."

Roxanne didn't say anything for a bit, digesting the info she had just received. She looked at her Nosepass and nodded. "Maybe that's why he's so interested in it. We're going to have to check that out."

"I thought you wanted to train against the Gym leader here?"

She laughed. "Oh I haven't forgotten that! See, I checked out the gym but he had left a note saying he was at the mines. I figure we can just drag him out for a few sparring matches and then be on our way."


	5. Chapter 5

Visitors to the Oreburgh Mine were made to wear hardhats, even though they walked through a walkway that was protected from falling rocks or Pokemon. Jamie pulled the mask off to wipe her mouth off before putting it back on. The interior of the mine was filled with men and Pokemon, working together to mine the precious ore that lay deep within the mine. Geodude smashed through the rock with their bare fists, moving as fast as some of the men with machines were. At the end of the walkway stood a young man with short purple hair and a pair of squarish black glasses.

"Hey, hey watch it over there! You dig a little further and half that wall is gonna crash on you! We can't have that here!"

"Hey Roark, can you come over here for a second? There's something I need to show you!"

"I'll be over there!" the young man said. He turned and noticed them. "Oh, sorry I didn't notice you there!"

Roxanne opened her mouth to speak but the chorus of jackhammers and Geodude fists caused her to close her mouth. Roark covered his ears and motioned for them to step outside.

Outside where she could breathe without the silly mask, Jamie ripped off the mask and took in deep breaths of air. Roark took off his hardhat and laughed. "Don't care much for the earthy air of the mine?"

"Not at all, ugh!"

He wiped his brow and looked up at the sun. "So what can I do for you fine ladies? A dirty old mine is the last place I expected to see you there."

Roxanne laughed. "Actually we aren't here for spelunking."

He raised an eyebrow. "You look familiar. I swear I've seen you somewhere before."

She smiled. "Actually my name is Roxanne, the Rock Gym Leader in Hoehn."

He nodded. "Ahhh yes, Hoehn. Great region out there, a lot more warm than Sinnoh to be honest. A little too warm for me."

"Oh, you've been there."

"Yes, I have a few times. Me and my dad went there when I was a lot younger. We visited Meteor Falls and Fallarbor Town quite a bit. He was fascinated with some of the Pokemon within the caves. The only Pokemon I had been interested in were Lunatone and Solrock-"

Roxanne laughed. "You were into Rock Pokemon back then?"

"Of course! I've always been interested in Rock Pokemon. Even since I was young, I liked them and knew I would become an expert in them! Was it the same with you?"

Roxanne blushed. "N-not at first. I first was interested in Grass Pokemon. My dad was a bit of an expert in Rock Pokemon and he did his best to get me to see the benefits of them."

Roark smiled. "Heh, my dad is big on Steel Pokemon and he gives me a hard time about using Rock, especially since Steel Pokemon can crush them with ease."

Jamie cleared her throat and Roxanne shot her a look. "S-sorry. I was just...getting a little bored of all this talk about Rock Pokemon."

Roxanne sighed and draped her arm across her shoulders. "And this would be Jamie. She's hoping to become a Pokemon Ranger. She's my guide while I travel around Sinnoh."

Roark stroked his chin. "So then what are you doing out here in Sinnoh?"

Roxanne folded her arms. "Well, I'm out here to do a little training. We had a pair of strong Trainers in Hoehn that made mincemeat of every Gym leader out there. I hadn't been beaten that well in a battle for some time, not since Steven Stone became Champion."

Roark chuckled. "Sounds like the same sort of thing that happened when Cynthia was challenging all the Gym Leaders here."

"Well I thought my team could get a little stronger but seeing as how I was a Gym Leader in Hoehn, it might be a bit tough to train without drawing too much attention. I decided that a better idea would be come out to another region and get my training in, away from any distractions."

"I see. And since you're also a Rock expert, you wanted to get some training with me."

She nodded. "Yep. At least I can if you have time. I noticed that you seemed to be working in the mines so if you don't-"

"No, I don't mind. I'll just let them know I'm taking a small break. I've been wanting to take on the other Rock Gym Leaders to be honest. I've got a bit of a competitive streak and I'd love to see just who has assembled the best team."

Roxanne laughed. "Well I'm pretty sure I have the strongest team of Rock Pokemon assembled."

Roark held up a Pokeball of his own. "How about we go test that theory out at my gym?"

The inside of Roark's Gym was just about she expected for a Rock themed gym. The inside of it looked like a cave, with the walls constructed of dark gray stone and authentic looking stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Large boulders were strewn around the gym except for a large circular area covered in dirt where the Pokemon could fight. It even had the stale, old air you'd expect to find in a cave. Jamie sat atop some flattened rocks while Piplup tried in earnest to find a seat next to her. He tried to climb up the large boulder using his wings but got so far before he slipped back down. He shook himself off before jumping at the boulder. It tried to climb up again but slipped to the ground. She sighed and picked him up and sat him down on a nearby boulder before turning her attention back to the contestants at hand.

Roark held out a Pokeball. "I don't really care how many Pokemon you'll be using. My team of three will crush it. Let's go Golem!"

He tossed it forward, summoning a huge Golem onto the stage. It looked about as big as many of the boulders strewn around the gym and as it moved forward, the floor of the gym shook. Piplup let out a cry as he fell off. Roxanne took out a Pokeball of her own. "Golem huh? I think I know how to deal with him. Let's go Omastar!"

Jamie raised an eyebrow. This was the first she had ever heard of a Pokemon like this. It had a large curved shell with spikes running along the center of it. It's body was light blue and resembled a large squid, including the squid like beak. It inched along the ground about as quick as the Golem.

"Golem, earthquake!"

Roark's Golem raised its foot but just as it slammed it on the ground, Roxanne fired off a command to her Omastar. "Omastar, Hydro Pump!" She yelled. The Omastar opened its beak and a powerful stream of water shot out but instead of hitting Roark's Golem, used the stream of water to propel itself into the air. Jamie sat up straight as the Omastar flew high into the air. A second later, Golem's earthquake hit the gym, causing the ground to shake with a terrible tremor. She slipped off the boulder and onto the ground as a few rocks and dirt fell from the ceiling.

Roark adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Golem, rock throw!"

Roxanne shook her head. "Not if I can help it. Omastar, ice beam!"

By this time the Omastar had begun to fall back to the ground but it opened its beak again and let out a light blue stream with ice crystals sparkling through the beam. It hit Golem's legs and froze its lower torso to the ground. Omastar used another powerful stream of water to ensure a soft landing. Golem twitched and groaned as it tried to escape from its icy prison but without much luck. Roxanne smiled and folded her arms. "Break out of it Golem!"

"Why not just use a Full Restore? I'm sure it'll better prepare him for what I have next."

Roark laughed. "You underestimate him! Golem, use Rollout to break free!"

Golem suddenly withdrew its head and limbs into its boulder like shell. It began to shake and move in the ice casing. Each time it did, cracks began to form in the ice. Roxanne and her Omastar didn't seem concerned about this at all. Omastar stood on one side of the arena, doing nothing while Roxanne stood nearby with her arms folded. The cracks in the ice grew larger and she sighed. "You really should have used a full restore."

Roark ignored her just as his Golem broke out of the ice and rolled toward Omastar. It reacted by firing off another powerful stream of water. Golem hit the stream and continued to push forward, causing Omastar to spew more water out. Roxanne made a fist with her hand as Golem tried to push through the powerful stream of water and nail Omastar but its advance began to slow. A few seconds later, it began to roll backward. Jamie stood up as the Omastar pushed Golem back towards Roark, causing it to roll into a few large boulders with a loud crash. Golem poked its head and limbs out but its mouth hung open as it gasped for air. Roark's eyes grew wide for a minute before he shook his head and held out the Pokeball. "I got too confident. Sorry Golem," he said as he summoned it back.

He took out another Pokeball, summoning forth an Aerodactyl. Jamie frowned. It seemed like a bad choice against a water Pokemon like Omastar. Perhaps Roark had something up his sleeve. Aerodactyl landed on the ground and roared. "Omastar, hit it with Hydro Pump!"

Omastar took aim and fired off another powerful blast of water but before it could even hit Aerodactyl, it swooped high into the air. Roark laughed. "Just chill up there Aerodactyl. They won't be able to hit you up there."

"You're just so over confident. Omastar, Hydro Pump!"

The Omastar gathered in some air before shooting an even more powerful stream of water at the flyer but the Aerodactyl just flew out of the way again. Was Roark trying to use her own strategy against her? Roxanne frowned. "Tough to hit something that has a little speed to it. Aerodactyl, use agility!"

The Aerodactyl flew even higher into the air, just beneath the ceiling. It began to flap its wings faster and faster, a gold aura appearing around its body. Roxanne didn't budge and turned to the Omastar. "Prepare for its attack. He's got something up his sleeve."

Roark just smiled while the Aerodactyl finally dove at the Omastar, but instead of launching an attack, swooped back up into the air and vanishing into thin air. Jamie stood up, mouth agape. "H-h-hey, where did he go?"

"Anywhere and everywhere," Roark said with a shrug. She looked up and could see images of the Aerodactyl appearing and reappearing before her very eyes. It moved much quicker than she could keep up and soon she began to get a slight headache and sat back down. "Agility just increases the speed of the Pokemon. He was already fast to begin with so you can only imagine what that would do to his speed!"

Roxanne's Omastar continued to fire off beams of ice and water around the gym, in hopes of tagging it but Aerodactyl proved to elusive for it. Jamie began to wonder if doing all that would tire her Omastar out but even after that time, it seemed more than capable of firing off attacks, even if they never hit. Suddenly out of a flash, Aerodactyl appeared and swooped in, grabbing Omastar in its claws. It flew high up into the air, still holding the Omastar. "Is he going to drop it?"

"How about a good old fashioned Twister Special? Let's go Aerodactyl!" Roark yelled. The Aerodactyl let out a cry before it began to spin its body. It spun faster and faster, forming a small whirlwind of air in the middle of the gym, drawing dust and small rocks into it. Roxanne stepped back, looking unsure of what to do. This was the first time Jamie had heard of this attack. The Aerodactyl let the Omastar drop the ground and Roxanne gasped.

"Omastar, withdraw into your shell!"

Thanks to her quick thinking, it did just that as it bounced off the ground a few times. Aerodactyl let out a cry before diving straight at the Omastar, which had poked its head out, looking dazed. Roxanne yelled at it to withdraw again but it appeared as if the attack had left it confused. Aerodactyl stopped a few feet short of it and flapped its two wings together, causing a powerful gust of wind that picked up the Omastar and slammed it into the wall. Jamie gasped as the Omastar bounced off the wall, several spikes on its shell breaking off from the impact as it landed on the ground. The Omastar moved its tentacles just a little to show it had a little life in it and Roxanne shook her head. Jamie glared at Roark. "Did you have to be that rough? You could have killed it!"

Roxanne shot a glare right back at Jamie. "Jamie, I have things under control! Omastar has been through far worse than that!"

Jamie blushed. "I-I-I'm sorry! I just thought that-"

"Roark, Roark!" Jamie was interrupted by a young man who burst into the gym. He wore a dark blue coveralls and a dark red hard hat. He pulled off his filthy goggles and looked around. "Ahhh, sorry. I didn't know you were in the middle of a match."

Roark waved him off. "Yes, I'm in the middle of a match but what's going on? You wouldn't come here unless you had a good reason."

The man nodded. "Yea big problem. Some Team Rocket goons are in the mine, causing trouble for everyone. They're using their Pokemon to smash up the equipment, chase off miners and-"

"What? Team Rocket? Why are they doing this?"

The young man shrugged. "They didn't care to share that with us. We tried to use our own Pokemon but they have some pretty strong Pokemon. We couldn't beat them!"

Roark held out his hand. "Calm down. I'll be right there! Just make sure they don't get away!"

The guy nodded before running off. Jamie picked up Piplup and joined Roark and Roxanne in the middle of the gym. Roark summoned Aerodactyl back to its ball and shook his head. "I guess we'll just have to continue this another time."

"Yes, we will. I know this isn't your region and you're kind of on vacation and all but could I ask you to help out. I think between the both of us, we should be able to take care of them."

Roxanne smiled. "Yea, I can help out. It's the least I can do."

Jamie looked between the two of them. "And...what about me? Should I-"

"Jamie, stay out of this. If they have some strong Pokemon, your own Pokemon may be too weak and could get hurt," Roxanne said. She smiled and put her hand atop her head. "I know you want to help but just leave it to us."

Roark laughed. "The two of us may even be a bit of overkill."

"Ahhh don't get cocky. Let's just go in and take care of them," Roxanne said.

The two of them left the gym but Jamie felt as if she had been punched in the gut. Too weak? How could her Pokemon be too weak? She held up the Pokeball holding Diddy. "Too weak? We were able to stand up to those Rockets in Oreburgh Gate, right?"

The ball shook, as if Diddy gave his agreement, if that were possible. She released him but instead of being happy, he turned to her, looking cross. "H-hey, I'm sorry but I could only have one of you out! You know how you two can be!"

Diddy folded its arms and looked away. Was this his idea of a temper tantrum? Piplup looked at her and then at Diddy, before it began to chirp at Diddy, flapping its wings while at it. Diddy stopped ignoring her and shook its tiny fist at Piplup. Piplup didn't take this threat sitting down and spat a strong stream of water at Diddy's face, knocking the little chimp on its back. Diddy got back to its feet but not before picking up a nearby rock and tossing it at Piplup. Jamie did her best to get them to stop but both Pokemon seem more interested in fighting, rather than obeying their own trainer.

Jamie stomped her foot on the ground before grabbing the Pokeball with Haunter in it. She pulled it back, ready to summon Haunter but before she could, another thought stopped her. If she couldn't get two young Pokemon to obey her, how would she be able to get something like Haunter to? She sat back down on the rocks as Diddy and Piplup went at it. "Perhaps she was right? If I can't get you two to act then..."

"Pathetic. I thought the gym would have been under heavier guard. That they left some rookie trainer here to her devices is...hilarious."

She turned in the direction of the cold, emotionless voice to find a middle aged man dress in a white suit with a Team Rocket emblem on the front pocket. His face bore many wrinkles, of that of a guy who had been around quite a bit. He had a head full of spiky blue hair, which seemed to fit well for his cold voice. Before him stood a huge Gyrados, like a loyal guard dog. Diddy and Piplup stopped fighting at once when this new foe appeared. "Rookie trainer? Are you talking about me?"

"I don't see anyone else in this gym, do you?"

She pointed a finger at him. "You're with Team Rocket. What are you guys up to? I already alerted the police to you guys! If you keep hanging around like this, you'll all end up in jail!"

He laughed. "Jail? Catch Team Rocket? The police? Tell me Jamie, do you know anything about water?"

She raised an eyebrow. What was this guy getting at? "Water? Uh, it's wet. We drink it. We wash with it-"

"Cute. Have you ever tried to hold water in your hands? Have you ever tried to clasp your hands together to keep the water in? What happens?"

"It drips out?"

He nodded, not even bothering with a smile. He held up his fist. "That is what Team Rocket is. Call the police, call the government, do anything you want. The harder you try to bottle us up, the easier we'll just slip right out through your fingers. Nothing you can do can stop us."

"Why are you trying to get all philosophical on me? You're up to no good and I'm gonna stop you! Piplup, use quick attack! Diddy, knock some sand into its eyes! We'll make sure he won't know what hit him?"

The man shook his head. "Dragon breath," he said. Gyrados opened its mouth wide before unleashing a beam of green energy laced with lightning. It hit both Diddy and Piplup, pushing them back to the edge of the arena, where they smashed into some large boulders and fell to the ground. Jamie gasped and began to hurry over, when a powerful blast of wind knocked her off balance, causing her to stumble back and fall over some rocks. She fell to the ground, getting a mouthful of dust for her troubles. She spit it out a few times before noticing a large shadow fall over her. Her heart felt as if it would jump out her chest as she sat up and saw the Gyrados towering over her. The man stood next to it, still wearing that stoic look on his face.

Another Pokemon appeared to his other side, this one being an Alakazam. It seemed as if he had lost any interest in fighting her Pokemon and going after her instead. She began to scurry back as the Gyrados inched closer, keeping the distance between her and it the same. She reached for her other Pokeballs but the Alakazam raised its hand and called the remaining ones to the man. "Trainers, always so eager to resort to violence as the only option."

She scurried over to a nearby boulder and got to her feet. "W-w-w-what do you want with me?"

He didn't say anything for a few moments. The silence unnerved her and she soon found herself sitting on the ground, unsure what to do. She had a few potions on her that could revive Diddy and Piplup but would he even let her do that? The way he looked at her, he appeared as if he were staring at some mere object, not a terrified teenager. She knew he had ordered his Pokemon to attack her? Would he be willing to use them to do even more harm? He cleared his throat after what seemed like hours. "Is it here? The Plate?"

"H-h-huh?" She asked before noticing that he spoke to the Alakazam. It looked at the man and shook his head, causing the man to shake his head.

"I see that it isn't here. A waste of time."

He summoned his Pokemon back to their balls and put them away. He looked at her with that icy look, not even flinching or even blinking. She tried to slink away from that piercing glare but even with her back to him, she could feel it. "Go ahead and say it. I'm weak."

"I don't have to say anything. You've already convinced yourself of that fact."

"Then what do you want? Why are you still here?"

He folded his arms. "You're a terrible trainer if your Pokemon are so weak as to be defeated by an attack like that. My Gyrados didn't even use its full strength and yet they crumbled like cheap paper."

She shot a weak glare at him. "They aren't weak! They're much stronger than your...Team Rocket friends!"

He stroked his chin. "The weak condemning the so called weak. Cute. If this is some sort of mechanism you're using the make yourself feel good, do it. I feel it's a useless effort. It's obvious you aren't a real Trainer-"

"I-I-I am a trainer!"

"Right. So then tell me, just how do you plan to become a better trainer?"

"I'm not going to become a trainer. I plan to become a Pokemon Ranger. I want to help people and Pokemon alike-"

"How noble but useless. I know your kind, I've seen it before. You start out all gung-ho, eager to help the world out. This goes well at first but once you see the problems in the world, how trainers treat many of their Pokemon, how dangerous wild Pokemon can be..." he said before trailing off. He shook his head. "Pitiful emotions. They cause nothing but trouble in this world."

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. And what about you?"

She frowned. "Me?"

"You're sitting in a gym. I'm sure you've already experienced the ferocity of a battle between trainer and gym leader. Were you amazed by the pageantry or were you disturbed at the violence of the battle?"

She opened her mouth to speak but decided against giving him any more ammunition. He looked at her, seemingly noting her silence and nodded. He rested his foot on one of the boulders and looked around.

"So you have. And you were bothered by it. How the trainers would just willingly endanger the lives of their Pokemon? And for what? A stupid little badge to show that they proved their Pokemon were stronger."

"But that's how Pokemon bond-"

He shook his head. "A bond formed by violence?"

"Ahhh well..."

"And then you hear about the attacks of wild Pokemon on innocent people. Would you be prepared to put down a Salamence that is causing too much trouble? Or how about something smaller and less threatening like Frosslass? Just how do you think you'd deal with that?"

She folded her arms. "Well I would-why are you asking me all this? What are you trying to get at?"

"You're young and thus haven't truly considered the path you should take in regards to Pokemon. You wish to make some sort of difference. You have no interest in becoming a trainer that just uses their Pokemon to fight against other Pokemon. You say you want to become a Ranger but are still unsure if you could deal with a wild Pokemon causing trouble for other people. And have you even given thought to the fact that there are trainers out there who abuse and mistreat their Pokemon?"

She frowned. "Of course I know about that! I even rescued my Piplup from a trainer who didn't care for him at all!"

He walked over to one of the walls of the gym and leaned against it. "So then what about if you meet a trainer who mistreats his Pokemon and won't give them up? It's quite easy when you're dealing with Trainers who are willing to just throw away Pokemon but what about those others?"

Jamie shook her head. "I know there are laws against mistreating Pokemon and since Rangers are working with the government-"

"If you believe you can just trust the government to not get entangled in a bunch of red tape."

"Y-y-you're just taking all my words and twisting them around!"

He waved her off. "Then how about backing up your statements? Instead you give me the same answers you've been fed by everyone else. If it's good for them, than it's good for you, no questions asked," he said. He stood up straight and glared at her.

"Team Rocket isn't any better."

"Blaming others already and dodging the question? How admirably pathetic. As for Team Rocket, don't let appearances deceive you."

"I caught them in Oreburgh Gate. They were experimenting on poor Gyrados and then planning to sell them off to trainers!"

"I can't speak for those Rockets. There are many of them willing to engage in criminal activities but that's just a small part of Team Rocket's activities-"

"Plus I've heard plenty of reports that you guys steal people's Pokemon!"

He shrugged. "We're doing a better job of liberating Pokemon from abusive trainers than the Rangers. Why bother taking Pokemon from trainers who treat them well? They'll just prove to be a pain to use. It's far easier to just take Pokemon away from those who mistreat them because they'll be eager to be with someone who won't mistreat them."

Her eyes grew wide. "You're just exploiting them!"

He leveled his eyes at her. "Haven't you done the same thing? Didn't you just say you rescued a Piplup from an abusive trainer? You already said you plan to become a Ranger but what if that Piplup likes to participate in battles instead?"

She opened her mouth to speak but didn't have a good answer to his question. If she answered, she figured she'd just dig herself a deeper hole. He nodded.

"To be honest, there is room in Team Rocket for your kind."

"My kind?" She asked. She scurried over to Piplup and Diddy, who looked as if they had began to recover from the Gyrados' massive attack.

"The ones who seem interested in making some sort of impact. The ones not out to just battle their Pokemon for fun or competition. Or the trainers interested in entering their Pokemon in little contests."

She shook her head. "You're all just a bunch of criminals..."

He glanced at the door as if expecting someone to come through. "I'm sure the thought of joining Team Rocket seems crazy to you, especially since you've dealt with them already. However there is far more to them than what meets the eye."

He flicked a card at her before leaving out the front doors. She crawled over to it and picked it up. It was a glossy black card with a red R in the middle of it. She turned it over but the back turned out to be the same as the front. "That's strange. And he didn't even bother telling me his name!"

That had to be the most confusing conversation she had in some time. She wasn't even sure what she could learn from it except that she had a lot more questions for him; about Team Rocket, the Rangers and such. She administered a potion to Diddy and Piplup. "What do you guys think?"

Piplup flapped its wings while Diddy let out a yawn. "Nothing, huh? I guess it's something I'll just have to decide on my own. Let's go find Roxanne and Roark."

A decent crowd of people had gathered just outside the mines, though the police maintained a barrier around the main entrance to the mines. She climbed atop a nearby box, hoping to catch a glimpse of Roxanne or Roark but by the looks of it, they were probably still in the mine. She shrugged and began to climb down when she heard a familiar voice. "Ahhh, is it Jamie? Ahh yes Jamie! What are you doing up there?"

She turned to see Looker standing nearby. He no longer had that large folder with him but she noticed that one of the pockets on his coat had quite a few Pokeballs in it. "Ahhh hello Looker. Why do you have all those pokeballs stuffed into your jacket?"

"Seized, we seized them from Rocket. Team Rocket, yes. They were experimenting on poor...Gyrados but we were able to rescue some of them but Rocket got away. Yes, they flew the coop!"

Her heart fell a bit at the sound of that. It'd just be a bit tougher to find one of them if she needed to get more questions out of them or maybe to get in contact with that mysterious guy again. "They seem kind of slippery."

Looker seemed to think about that for a minute and nodded. "Slippery yes, yes. You close your hands, trying to keep them in but the harder you try, the easier they slip away. Very very frustrating, no?"

"Uh yes."

"So what is, what they say, going on here?"

She cleared her throat. "Well some Team Rocket goons were in here causing trouble for the miners. I don't know why exactly as I just got here but a couple Gym leaders had come to take care of them."

"Team Rocket, again? Again you say? This is unimaginable! They are proving far more of a problem than we thought! Were they the only Rockets in town? Were there any others? I see we must make like a fine comb and...weed them out!"

She sighed. "I think you mean comb them out and...there...weren't any other Rockets. Those are the only ones I know of. Maybe someone else saw some around town but these two are the only ones I know about."

Looker rubbed his chin for a moment. He looked back at the cave. "I see. Then I will question the people around here and see if they saw anything suspicious. Yes! Thank once again Jamie-"

"Looker, wait!" She said. She hopped down and he rubbed the back of his head. "I have a question."

"Okay, shoot."

She looked down at the ground. "Wouldn't it be pretty smart to go undercover?"

"Undercover? Yes, yes that would be wise. Team Rocket is so wet that I know that I will eventually have to go undercover, no?"

"Uhhh...yes."

He held up a finger. "I would ask you one thing. One thing yes! I ask that you leave the undercover to me. Team Rocket is a dangerous organization and I appreciate your help in this but do not get too involved. No no, that would be bad. You know of the Spinarak?"

She nodded. "The small spider like Pokemon?"

"Yes, yes. Good, we're on the exact point. Now you see, the edges of the web are a little sticky but...but if you stick along the edges, you can still escape. However, the closer you get to the middle, the harder it is to get free and then finally, trapped! Yes you are trapped!"

A gnawing desire to get defensive grew inside but she pushed that aside and let out a sigh. "So I think I get what you're saying. I'll...make sure to keep out of the way and leave it the pros."

He smiled at her. "Good, good. I know in a battle, you could hold your own but they have other ways to fight. Yes, Rockets can fight dirty. They can be manipulative or intimidate. Intimidating, sorry! So yes, just do whatever you do and if you see any, report them. Yes report them! I must be off!"

She gritted her teeth as he hurried off, feeling more than a little dirty about that lie. Hopefully she could avoid running into him if it came to that. She felt someone put their arm around her shoulder and she flinched. "Sorry Jamie, it's me, Roxanne."

Jamie looked over at her and smiled. "Oh sorry, you spooked me. How did it go?"

Roxanne sighed. "Well the two Rockets had some strong Pokemon alright. Me and Roark had our hands full with them but Team Rocket members are fond of using fire and poison Pokemon so we were able to defeat them. They had an interesting strategy that made me curious."

"Oh?"

Roxanne pulled away, a concerned look on her face. "Yea. Some of the Pokemon they used specialized in defense and they used that to their advantage. In fact they seemed eager in taking a defensive stance and trying to exhaust our Pokemon or just waste time."

Jamie's mouth fell open. "Waste time? You mean like they were just trying to stall you?"

Roxanne didn't answer at first but shook her head. "I don't know but they could have. Did you see anything?"

Jamie shook her head. "No but I confess I really wasn't paying much attention."

"I owe you an apology."

"W-what makes you say that?" Jamie asked. Roxanne shrugged. "You don't owe me that!"

"I think you were hurt when I told you to stay out of the way. Now that I think about it, it was wrong. You should have been able to help out. Now that I think about it, our fight with those two Rockets would have been over sooner if you had been there."

"You're just saying that to be nice."

Roxanne shook her head. "I'm being honest. Yes they had some strong Pokemon but like I said, they were more interested in taking a defensive stance or wasting our time. We spent so much time trying to break through their defenses that we could have used someone else to help on the attack," she said. She smiled. "And it just wasn't as fun without you around."

Jamie blushed. "Y-y-you really didn't have to apologize. I mean...I was hurt just a little but I got over it. Besides, I really haven't done much battling so they could have gotten hurt."

"You're a terrible liar, you know that?"

She looked away and shook her head. "So then...now what? Are you going to finish your sparring match with Roark?"

Roxanne laughed. "No, I think he'll have his hands full with trying to repair that mine. Those two did a number on the place and I think getting the mine up and running is more important that our little match. I guess we could just move on to the next town."

Jamie sighed. "The next town with a gym leader is Eterna City but the two ways of getting there are a bit long."

"Go on."

"Well if we went back to Jubilife, we could take Route 204, a medium length route that would take us to Floarama Town. From there we would have to take Route 204 which is a bit long and then make a trek through Eterna Forest before we'd finally end up in Eterna City."

Roxanne laughed. "You're right, that does sound like quite the trek. What's the other way?"

"Well this one is a bit shorter. We'd cross Route 207 which is north of here and then hit the connecting route which is 206. That would take us right to Eterna City. The only problem being that Route 206 is Cycling Road and I don't have a bicycle."

"Neither do I so I can see the problem there. I really don't want to take that other route but until we find some bicycles, we'll have to take the long way," she said. She folded her arms and then smiled. "On second thought, let's take the long way anyways. I haven't really been here before and I wouldn't mind seeing more of Sinnoh."

"I can't fault you for that. It's getting a bit late so we'd have to start tomorrow morning. Do you want to meet in Jubilife tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. I plan to stick around here and explore the town some more. Maybe check out the museum with some of the fossils. There look like plenty of things to do here."


End file.
